Chapter 492 – Frozen Ground (3)
It had already been five years since he had suddenly received and accepted the candidacy proposal from the Ark.
At the time, Terat had been a lower 4th tier. Though the trials he faced might have been small in scale, each one had been an event where he had to wager his life. He overcame them, survived, and reaped the rewards.
Moreover, in the annual exchange matches hosted by the Ark, though his results had been lackluster, he consistently showed growth, and in doing so gained material support.
The finest magic items he currently carried, a staff made of Armanuc wood and a necklace that enhanced earth magic, were among such rewards.
Growth that lightly exceeded the average.
Despite having no great connections such as a nation or a magic tower, in just over 1,800 days he had crossed the wall between the 4th tier and the 5th tier.
At the same time, he had saved many people.
Had he avoided his trials and run away, more than a thousand lives might have been lost, never to return.
Falling from a cliff to their deaths.
Or clawing desperately up the cliff, breathing the air of a different height.
In Terat's case, he was truly the very example of what the Ark pursued───seeking both physical and mental growth through trials, to be reborn as a greater existence.
'Wait a second… if I keep going like this, then someday I'll pioneer Mado, and within 20 or 30 years I might reach the lower 6th tier, the tier of limits, and become a Reacher of Mado, won't I?'
Of course, reaching the limit tier was exceedingly difficult for anyone, and only a handful became Magi.
But if he himself declared it impossible, then who else would say it was possible?
'That's right, I don't need to shrink in comparison to other great Mages. I have talent too. At the very least, in terms of sheer mana capacity, I'll never fall behind anywhere…!'
To achieve his desires as a Mage, and also to be respected and praised by others, had long been Terat's dream.
And it was only a few months ago that Terat, who had been living such a fulfilling life, came face to face with a talent far beyond his own.
At this year's Ark Exchange Match.
Among the two new Ark candidates who were required to participate, there had been one… a Magus with ash-gray hair, clad in a luxurious platinum robe.
That day, Terat had seen it.
The bracelet-shaped, simplified mana measuring device, a specialty of the Artison Magic Tower, had completely shattered, and the other great candidates who had gathered for the Ark Exchange Match had been crushed under the sheer weight of vast mana.
───Ah...
Even Terat had endured for a short while, but it was nothing more than a futile struggle.
Before long, his consciousness had flown away.
That moment, the sensation of pure mana so overwhelming it inspired fear, surging through his entire body like a massive wave, was not something easily forgotten.
Even now, he sometimes had nightmares of drowning in mana as he slept.
Thud.
"Haaah, haaah…!"
Recalling the unprecedented pressure, Terat collapsed helplessly.
His breath turned rough.
Cold sweat beaded on his skin, running down in rivulets.
"Hey?"
Isabella approached, waving her hand in front of his face, but Terat's trembling pupils would not settle.
"Master, this Mage named Terat, his state doesn't look very good? Did something bad happen between you and him?"
"That's not… hmm, in some sense you could say it's similar. Anyway, it's not enmity. In fact, it's more like a cooperative relationship of sorts."
Verden gestured, casting
A chair that had been abandoned in the corner floated and settled opposite him.
Thanks to the special potions Isabella had fed him at regular intervals from the small snow mountain to Chillstead, his mana circuits had partly recovered.
He was still badly injured, but handling a bit of mana was no longer a problem.
"There's something I need to share in secret. Can you give us the room?"
Verden wished for a private conversation.
If he was hiding something from none other than Isabella and Adrian, then it wasn't a matter of trust, but of necessity.
"I'll stand by outside, my lord."
"I heard that in the North, herbs unobtainable on other continents are being traded. So I'll go take a look around the streets of Chillstead, I'll be back before dinner."
Both agreed without question, stepping immediately into the inn's corridor.
Thus, two Ark candidates remained.
Clink.
Verden tipped a steaming teapot, pouring the fine tea he had bought from the inn into an empty cup.
"If you've calmed down, sit, Terat."
***
Barely regaining his composure, Terat carefully sat on the chair.
Then he gulped down the warm tea in one go. The stimulation of his taste buds made his vision seem a little clearer.
Verden refilled Terat's cup once more.
"You're from the North?"
"Ah… ah, yes. I'm from a small village in Prohas. But since I lived long in the Western Continent, it's hard to call me a true Northerner."
"The Western Continent, then. Did you learn magic there?"
"Well, the North's education system is rather lacking… I had help from an acquaintance, and studied magic in the magic city, Virente."
Regardless of age, Terat paid respect and honor. The magical gap between them was beyond comparison.
Sip.
After wetting his throat once more with tea, Terat carefully raised his gaze.
"Since that last exchange match… Asher, I've read much about you in the newspapers. About how you played a decisive role in subjugating the Bone-Relic Dragon that appeared in the Republic of Beldirn, and about how you built a mighty power in the Ownerless Land of the Central Continent."
"So the world's news reaches here fairly well."
"Normally it's difficult. But once you reach a certain standing, it's not so hard. After all, this is an age where magic is widespread. On that note, there's something I'd like to ask…"
Terat voiced his genuine curiosity.
"Why are you here, when you should be in the Ownerless Land?"
"By chance."
Verden's answer was brief, but in truth it was the whole story.
Though Terat thought it a half-hearted reply, strangely, he felt it wasn't a lie.
'Should I call this… presence?'
It was a feeling he had never once experienced in his life, something beyond description. Just facing him made his soul feel overwhelmed.
His consciousness was drawn in naturally.
Then Verden spoke.
"By the way, I heard that as commander of the subjugation force, you came to seek the Great Warrior's help. That monster that appeared in the west, is it connected to the trial?"
"That's right."
Terat replied at once.
Among fellow Ark candidates, there was no issue in discussing trials. There was no fear of one stealing another's trial either.
Being a part of the Ark meant one was someone who could be trusted as a person.
"Judging from how that monster is rampaging here and there, it seems like the trial wasn't overcome… but since it's alive and well, I suppose it didn't exactly fail either."
"Well, actually, the trial wasn't even properly attempted. You see, the date of the trial that the Ark had given was miscalculated."
Here, "trial" meant the various natural dangers lurking in the world.
Through their unique analysis, the Ark had long been able to pinpoint not only the place, but the time such dangers would occur.
The Soul Tree that appeared in the Forest of Demons of the Duchy of Riviant was one such example.
'But the Ark failed to predict it?'
That couldn't be a mere simple mistake.
As far as Verden knew, the Ark was not such a careless group.
And indeed, his guess was correct.
"An Ark member responsible for the North said that lately, significant errors have been occurring in the trial predictions."
"Errors?"
"At first, it was just slight misalignments of time or coordinates, nothing more than margin of error… but recently, there have been cases where the region changes, or the timing is brought much earlier, like mine. In some cases, the predicted place is so off that the trial ends up happening in an entirely different country."
The trials Ark candidates faced ranged not only from the scale of small villages' survival, but also to disasters of national scope.
It wasn't something to be taken lightly.
"What was your trial?"
"The subjugation of an abnormal species called the Pale Blind. If ranked by the Adventurer Guild's danger scale, it's at mithril level. Since it moves without leaving traces, catching it early is key…"
In Verden's insight, Terat's current stage was lower 5th tier without having pioneered Mado, but his mana capacity was quite large.
Though he couldn't be certain of the finer details of his magic skill without witnessing it firsthand, being an Ark candidate meant he was already above ordinary Mages of the same tier.
Even compared to mithril-rank adventurers, he likely wouldn't fall short.
Terat continued.
"But the bigger problem isn't the Pale Blind, but the groups of demi-humans and abnormal species that have begun appearing nearby. Since the two don't mingle and are hostile, they've spread even more widely."
A sigh brushed his ear.
"Before the damage spreads to other regions, we must quickly deal with the two main forces at the heart of each group… but we don't have enough warriors to form encirclement nets. So we need a force that can hold off one of the groups with a small number."
"And that force would be the Great Warrior."
"This is my first time actually seeing a Great Warrior, but I've long heard of their might. After all, they're warriors recognized even by the true Northerners, so there's nothing more to say."
Terat spread the rumors of the Great Warriors of the North.
Verden quietly replied.
"Terat, I understand what kind of help you're asking for. But I need to correct one thing."
"Yes?"
"There is no Great Warrior here."
He briefly explained the story of the Ownerless Land. Listening closely, Terat sighed softly and nodded.
"Ah… now that I think about it, I did hear such rumors a few years ago. While the king of the North was absent, someone slaughtered small tribes in the provinces and fled beyond the North. Witnesses said he wielded a giant Great Warrior's sword. And in the eastern Ownerless Land, a man with a similar look was said to stride across battlefields."
Terat scratched his forehead.
"Well, it's very fortunate that such a criminal is dead… but, hmm, to think the Great Warrior who came to Chillstead wasn't really a Great Warrior."
His expression was deeply troubled.
When asked if it mattered so much whether it was truly a Great Warrior, Terat spoke in self-mockery.
"Ordinary Northerners are fine, but those who keep the true traditions are different. They're stubborn as hell and proud too. Especially toward outsiders, their rejection is extreme. That's why there's no Adventurer Guild in the North."
The Adventurer Guild was a worldwide force that had established branches across all continents, yet in the North alone it had failed to gain a foothold and was eventually forced to withdraw.
Because of the harsh exclusivity of the true Northerners, there had been almost no guild members there. More than that, the deliberate obstruction of adventurers' subjugation activities had become a major hindrance.
This was not something that could be solved by negotiations with the Northern Kingdom, Prohas.
The opposition of the true Northerners was like an expression of conviction, unless they were all wiped out, there was no way to resolve the conflict.
In the end, the Adventurer Guild had no choice but to abandon the cold North, deciding against dispatching obsidian-rank adventurers to respond with force.
Because they could not afford to wage war.
"Fortunately, Chillstead is a place where the influence of the true tribes is weaker, but if we survive this crisis through the help of outsiders, someday noise will arise. If it were something I alone could take responsibility for, it would be fine… but the leadership of Chillstead would be under severe pressure."
Terat shook his head.
"If we put someone who isn't a Great Warrior into the subjugation force, Chillstead will not dispatch any warriors. If we end up being marked by the orthodox elders of Prohas, things will get very troublesome."
There was much political weight in it.
As commander of the subjugation force, Terat found himself unable to choose one path or the other.
If he accepted the help of someone who was not a Great Warrior, then the warriors he needed to command would disappear, but if he tried to solve it with only their own strength, it would be insufficient.
Yet the solution was simple.
"But the people of Chillstead believe that one of the Great Warriors of the North is here. Don't you plan to use that misunderstanding?"
If the straightforward path was the problem, then simply don't choose the straightforward path.
"That is…"
Terat hesitated.
Should he prioritize subjugation, even lying if he must, in order to save lives, or should he, as a Northerner, uphold their noble traditions?
The scales had already tipped to one side.
"I must use it, of course, if you will help."
"That depends not on me, but on his own will. But before that, there is something I want to ask."
Verden took a sip of tea.
"Since the Ark's prediction was wrong, one could say the trial itself has come to nothing. Beyond handling the demi-human and abnormal species groups, are you not asking me to subjugate the Pale Blind as well?"
Terat had once experienced a fragment of Verden's power. Of course, that had been even before he became a Transcendent.
"With your force, erasing a Northern trial wouldn't be difficult. But I do not wish for that. The trial is not yet over, it is a hardship I must overcome myself. Even if it means dying beyond my strength."
He felt fear, but no wavering.
Truly the resolve of one worthy to be a candidate of a group meant to lead humanity.
Verden wondered how the Ark was able to select such qualified individuals, from so many people.
"I see. Then it's time to ask the person himself about partial assistance."
At the moment he turned the doorknob with
He had blocked his hearing completely so as not to listen to their conversation, and had also spread a barrier to protect the room.
Verden asked.
"Terat is requesting that you join the subjugation force under the title of Great Warrior. Do you plan to cooperate? The decision is entirely yours."
"There is nothing I cannot do."
Adrian fixed his gaze on Terat's face, which was bright with relief.
"As long as a few conditions are met."
***
In return for accepting Terat's proposal, Adrian did not seek material rewards such as money or magical items.
In summary, he demanded that Verden's party be given the utmost treatment while they remained in Chillstead.
Naturally, Terat accepted enthusiastically.
In less than a day, he had offered them a city-managed building as lodging, and provided meals and many other conveniences.
He even introduced Isabella to Chillstead's alchemists, giving her the opportunity to make deals in alchemy.
A few days later.
"I will return quickly, my lord."
Terat set out to deal with the Pale Blind, which was originally the Ark's trial, while Adrian left the city with Chillstead's subjugation force to handle the main strength of the demi-human and abnormal species groups.
It was a poignant moment.
Once, an unofficial test subject of Balrog Bessias and a doomed killing weapon fated for suicide, he had now become the sword trusted by the Transcendent who sought to slay Balrog Bessias.
Someday, that blade would tear apart the high council of the magic tower of Bohemirn.
'Then…'
Verden stood at the center of a room sealed on all sides without a single window.
The sub-space was still dead.
For that reason, he took out the [Hourglass of Perpetuity], which he had stored inside his robe.
The one-armed mini-golem, Alpha, climbed skillfully onto Verden's shoulder and balanced itself.
[The artifact's charged mana has reached minimum threshold. Do you wish to activate it now?]
As soon as Verden could handle a bit of mana again, he had done two things.
One, to solve Alpha's power shortage, and two, to charge the artifact he had taken from Black Hour.
The [Hourglass of Perpetuity] could only be opened and closed with natural mana.
To meet such a demanding condition would normally take a long time, but Verden was the exception.
"Yes. Since I have it in hand, I must see what lies inside."
Because of the temporary output restriction caused by mana circuit overload, even after days of effort he had only managed to infuse enough mana to barely enable activation.
He could not keep it open long.
Still, he could at least glimpse part of the contents Black Hour had gathered over a lifetime.
Ssshh.
Verden set the [Hourglass of Perpetuity] on his palm.
Its body was gray, its glass transparent, within it countless black grains of sand lay piled motionless like dunes in a desert.
He grasped the head of the hourglass.
Then he inverted it, setting it once more upon his palm.
Tock.
The black sand began to fall.
***
They scoured the surroundings of the snowfield and discovered traces of a cave formed in a small snowy mountain.
Considering its size, the unknown group that had teleported into the North numbered at least two, no more than five.
Moreover, in a nearby village tavern, there was evidence that not long ago someone had paid with a bundle of money to buy information about the North and a shabby wagon.
Afterward, using a map of the North as reference, they divided the territory into precise regions and searched every area that seemed even remotely possible.
Though they kept coming up empty, with every miss their search area narrowed.
Finally.
"They were in Chillstead."
"Even though they teleported into the North, they asked the tavernkeeper basic questions about the North, then just happened to head for Chillstead where Ark candidate Terat was… Their trail is strange, and also strangely coincidental, Your Majesty."
"I think so too. But I won't conclude yet. Whether all this is intentional, or coincidence."
The young king of the North replied to the woman's personal view, his hair whipped by blowing snow.
They had fixed the location of the variables.
Now, it was time to go and confirm directly.
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