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#183. Old City (1)
The voice asked.
“What does marriage feel like?”
“Hmm? Are you interested in marriage already, Veronica?”
“Oh, no! I was just curious!”
Another voice answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Don’t do it.”
“yes…?”
“If I tell you not to do it, then don’t do it.”
“Why─.”
“My husband is the weaker of the other side.”
“That’s─.”
“The elf is like a nemesis.”
Two voices are heard from far away in the back seat.
Ray unconsciously repeated the word marriage and looked out the window.
The sky had returned to its original cloudy gray color, as if the clear skies of the previous night had been a dream.
The damp scenery flowed endlessly backwards beyond the rattling window.
“… … .”
I quietly recalled yesterday’s conversation.
“What has humanity lost?”
“Well, I only know about elves.”
The elf smiled in an unknown way.
“Maybe it’s just a metaphor that every race has lost something precious. Maybe humans haven’t lost anything.”
“well.”
I muttered without realizing it.
I had a strong feeling that it wasn’t a metaphor.
If humans had not lost something precious, they would not be in such a miserable state as they are now.
Rattling. Rattling.
Many thoughts ran through my mind as I followed the bus’s busy movements.
What have humans lost?
What happened to the sun that came down to the earth following the rainbow?
What is the purpose of Murkred and the Nambit Dawn Society?
The boy, lost in thought and exhausted, felt a slight hunger and reached for the pack of beef jerky on the shelf.
“… … ?”
The jerky pack was completely empty.
What? I don’t remember eating it all already since I just opened it.
The boy, who was looking around with a questioning look, soon saw a procession of jerky floating towards the elf in the back seat.
That’s when Ray got up from his seat to try to stop the illegal march.
─I think I can see my destination!
Jang’s voice was heard from the first floor.
I turned my head to the front windshield and, sure enough, a hazy silhouette was rippling at the edge of the horizon.
Ray went down the stairs and asked the damper in the passenger seat.
“Is this the site of the ruins that I see now?”
“Yes, that’s right. If you look closely, the silhouette is shaped like a building. It’s the ruins at the coordinates you mentioned.”
Ray took out Alleghen’s notebook and checked the doctor’s instructions written there again.
“A-012. Outside of Sector 37. Towards the southwest. Investigate the ruins at coordinates 512, 181, 322. Be aware of the possibility of finding the third jewel.”
‘The third jewel.’
It must mean a fragment of a rainbow.
However, the chances of discovery are not high.
Because every single jewel-related directive written in Allager’s notebook was marked with an X.
‘The same goes for Curiosa’s notebook.’
But we can’t completely ignore the possibility.
Because the directive regarding the jewel in sector 46 was spot on.
Damper muttered, watching the silhouettes of the buildings getting closer.
“Still, since that type is on flat ground, it would be relatively easy to explore.”
“Do relics exist in places other than the plains?”
“Yes, I’ve been to over twenty ruins. Some were located on top of high rocky mountains, some were deep in dark caves, some were at the bottom of cliffs, and some were next to dried-up rivers.”
Ray expressed his puzzlement.
“These places seem extremely unsuitable for living.”
“Because in ancient times, various races lived there.”
The answer came from behind.
When I turned my head, I could see Grinne and Veronica coming down the stairs.
Ray stared at the seasoning on the jerky that he hadn’t yet wiped off the corner of Greene’s mouth.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
I asked. I’m really greedy.
Grinne tilted his head at Ray’s gaze and continued telling the story.
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“It is said that originally all races lived together in harmony. However, the peaceful period did not last long.”
“Racial war.”
Ray, who realized what Greene was trying to say, answered.
“That’s right. With the outbreak of war, each race would have been scattered. Each race would have built a new city in its preferred environment.”
“Then the place we’re headed to now might not be a city where humans used to live.”
“That’s correct. I don’t have much knowledge about other races, so I can’t make an accurate inference.”
Ray asked Damper, the only one in the group with any exploration experience.
“What about you? Any guesses?”
“Well, I’ve felt a sense of unease while visiting various historical sites, but… I don’t know. I just found out yesterday that there are other races in the world besides humans.”
While we were talking, the bus arrived at the outskirts of the ruins.
What unfolded before my eyes were gray-white ruins.
Buildings of geometric shapes, the exact construction materials of which were unknown, stood precariously, broken, chipped and cracked.
“Your Majesty, may we come in?”
Ray, who was asked a question by the funeral director, gave instructions to Damper.
“I told you I had it.”
“for a moment.”
What Damper took out from his bosom was a compass-shaped tool.
When the button was pressed, waves generated from the tool spread out in a circle, disrupting the mana in the air.
Soon countless red dots appeared on the glass plate.
“This is where the keepers are. Damn, there are so many behind.”
Keepers are the beings that roam the ruins and attack intruders.
The form and type are different for each site, but they have one thing in common: they move using the mana they carry in their bodies as power.
“There were animal-shaped machines, and living boulders. They could also shoot fireballs and shoot lightning like magicians.”
Damper said, showing the burn marks on his forearm as proof of his experience at the time.
Ray said to Zhang.
“Let’s go in and get a feel for the atmosphere. Please avoid the keepers and go around.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The bus made its way between the buildings, cutting through the thick silence that had settled over the ruins.
The roaring engine noise continued to resonate as everyone held their breath.
“… … .”
The boy continued to look out the window.
A closer look revealed that the geometric buildings were built without any wasted space.
no.
Rather, I felt like it was completed in such a strange form because they were too focused on efficiency.
Ray asked Greene without taking his eyes off the window.
“Among the races of ancient times, was there any race that valued practicality?”
“Well, if I had to pick one, I’d say dwarves? I’ve heard that elves value beauty, or more accurately, natural beauty, while dwarves value practicality. Humans are said to have attributes somewhere in between.”
“So this is the city where the dwarves lived?”
“Well, as far as I know, dwarves are a race that lives underground.”
It was then that Ray felt something and turned his head.
The place where the gaze was directed was a tall tower in the center of the ruins that could be seen at a glance from anywhere.
I used mana to sharpen my vision, but no one was visible in any of the windows above or below the tower.
“Damper, do you ever encounter other expeditions at the ruins?”
“Well, I’ve never experienced that before. Usually, the advance party breaks down all the signs indicating the location of the ruins. It’s to prevent the latecomers from catching up.”
… Then maybe it’s just my mood.
Ray nodded at Damper’s words.
Dddddddd─
The bus continued moving forward.
Damper’s radar.
Funeral driving skills.
Thanks to these two combinations, we were able to advance steadily without encountering keepers.
Meanwhile, Ray placed the yellow gem on his palm and concentrated.
“… … .”
I thought that if a fragment of the rainbow were sleeping somewhere in the ruins, it might resonate.
There hasn’t been much of a response so far.
‘Maybe it’s because the pulling power is weak.’
Ray, who thought so, looked at Greene and said.
“Can I borrow some jewelry?”
“Okay, then. Okay.”
A green gem was placed on Ray’s other hand.
… Mana that shakes noisily.
If yellow mana felt like it was shooting out wildly, green mana felt like it was constantly moving in all directions.
Greene was impressed as she watched Ray effortlessly control the green mana that escaped the jewel.
“It’s strange. Even in the last forest, only Karon and I were able to properly handle the jewel’s mana.”
Many people have tried to communicate with the gem but have failed.
It felt as if the jewel had a will of its own and chose its user.
That matched exactly the impression Ray had when handling yellow mana.
Suddenly an idea occurred to the boy.
“Is it possible to absorb gems?”
“Huh? Absorbing it?”
“Yeah. Inside the body, next to the ring.”
“That won’t work.”
Flash.
The green gem that disappeared with a small halo of light was nowhere to be seen above or below Ray’s palm.
An earthquake occurred in Greene’s pupils.
“What is it? Give me back my jewels.”
“Give me my jerky first─.”
That was the moment.
Ray sensed another gaze shooting in from outside the window.
At the same time, a subtle flow of mana was captured on the ground under the bus.
Woof!
It took Ray less than a second to realize the situation and raise the mana in the ring.
The next moment.
Kugugugugugu──!
The ground collapsed.
“Get up, it’s falling!”
“Wh, what the sudden…! You crazy…!”
Jang and Damper’s faces turned pale.
What was visible in the front of the bus, which was tilted completely vertically, was a huge, deep, black hole with no end in sight.
Greene and Veronica, who were climbing onto the backs of the tilted chairs, shot sky-blue mana out of the car.
Hooo …
A truly tremendous gust of wind swept over the bus, but it only slowed it down a little and did not completely stop its fall.
But that was enough.
It took time for the green jewel mana emitted by Ray to reach the surrounding ground.
Crunch─! Crunch─!
The vines that had been nesting underground to escape the black rain burst through the cliff face and burst out into the outside world.
In an instant, it grew to a gigantic size and wrapped around the bus, stopping it in midair.
“… … .”
“… … .”
“… … .”
There was silence inside the bus.
I couldn’t see outside the window properly because it was blocked by the vines, but I could tell he was alive because the shaking had stopped.
The damper, crumpled in the gap under the dashboard, laughed like a crazy person.
“Heh heh, heh heh heh! Heh heh heh! I’ve been to many, many historic sites, but how could there be a case like this where a dog comes in without even turning on the blinker?”
“Well, at least I’m alive. I’m glad I survived.”
“That’s right. I wish I could live. But would you please step aside from me for a moment? I don’t think your posture is very pleasant.”
“Sorry, sorry. The bus is completely tilted and it’s hard to move─ ugh!”
Squeak!
The vines lifted the bus up, sending the vines and dampers rolling out.
The vines moved smoothly as if in sync, emerging from the huge hole and placing the bus on the ground.
And then it started to shrink in size and disappear as if it was being sucked into the cliff face.
“Okay, first of all, it looks like there’s nothing wrong with the bus itself.”
As Jang got up, patting his waist, and pressed the button, the bus door opened.
Pushii─
The group staggered out and looked around.
A huge, gaping, black pit next to me sent shivers down my spine.
Ray asked Damper.
“Isn’t this something that happens often at historic sites?”
“Never. No matter how weak the ground is, this is the first time the entire ground has collapsed like this.”
“What if the keepers prepare traps like this?”
“That’s not the case either. The Keeper is more like a doll that carries out commands as they are given.”
Ray asked Greene and Veronica this time.
“Did you feel it?”
“I felt it.”
“What about Veronica?”
“I felt it too. Before the ground collapsed, mana moved from below.”
The answer was not difficult to come up with.
Someone who does not welcome our visit is currently lurking in this historic site.
Ray first summoned a green gem in his hand and handed it to Grinne.
“Take it for now.”
“No. I think it would be better if Ray had it. He was able to utilize the jewel’s mana much better than I was.”
A brief exchange of glances.
Ray nodded and absorbed the green gem.
He then drew all the blue mana present in the ring and created an ice pick in his hand.
“The enemy is probably on the tower.”
Crackle! Crackle!
What started out as a finger-sized awl grew into something as large as a giant’s spear, with crystals blooming in the air constantly clinging to it.
“oh my god….”
“All the wizards I knew so far weren’t wizards at all.”
Jang and Damper instinctively took a few steps back as the bitter cold blew in all directions.
But because he couldn’t protect himself with mana, his body trembled and white breath came out of his mouth.
Veronica used the fire element to cover the two people’s bodies.
“Thank you, miss.”
“Thank you very much for this.”
However, everyone in the room could not take their eyes off the ever-growing ice window.
And then soon.
Damn.
Finally, when the ice window stopped expanding to a length that exceeded the width of the bus.
The boy closed his eyes and concentrated to feel Mana’s presence.
“… … .”
One of the largest portions of mana within the ring is blue.
As for the narrow range, it would be the most powerful destructive magic that could be drawn from the vertigo.
… However, the opponent was also aware of this and hid his presence, so his location was not easily detected.
But the boy did not give up and persisted in concentration.
and.
─Sigh.
The moment when the mana in the body trembled with subtle breathing was captured.
‘There it is.’
A dazzling blue spear split the air, splitting the sky.