Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 183

Episode 183 Elf (2)

According to the information, there are a total of 10 guards stationed in the abandoned prison.

There are two soldiers guarding each of the two prison entrances, and six people patrol. If you include the reserves, there are more, but it doesn't matter as long as they don't get caught.

<Implication>

<Flight>

Verden hid himself in the corner of the ceiling.

I held my breath and waited for the guard to pass by, completely hiding my presence. The sound of footsteps from afar gradually came closer.

however.

Thump… … Thump… … Thump… … Thump… … .

The vibration feels heavy.

It's like a knight in full plate armor… … No, it's even heavier than that. It's impossible for the Ariente Castle guards to fly with their armament levels.

In addition, a light was seen that was incomparable to that of a torch or something like that.

'what?'

It is different from the information I had previously received.

Verden felt something strange and focused his gaze. Soon, he could see where the epicenter was.

A giant creature approaching 4m in height.

The entire body was made of blazing rock, and in its wake the hot ground glowed red.

Verden's eyes widened at the sight.

'… … Golem?'

That's a flame golem too.

Judging by its shape, it must have occurred naturally.

'Why are there natural golems in the dungeon instead of guards?'

And that's not all.

I couldn't figure out why a fire golem appeared in the damp prison, and why they were leaving it there.

They are all full of questions.

Did you use that golem as a guard instead?

It may seem that way given the circumstances… … but a natural golem wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the two.

In any case, it is not a matter to be taken lightly.

It is a very big variable that cannot be compared to the entertainment of the first prince.

Naturally occurring golems have areas of activity.

As long as they don't cross that boundary, they are harmless, but once they enter, they become hostile to whatever it is. Furthermore, since they have no separate sense organs and judge things solely by their magical power, there are no blind spots within the area.

If that golem's territory was the entire prison, it would be as good as discovered already. Verden took out the Oculus from his space bag and prepared for battle.

But even that was colorless, as the flame golem turned a corner and disappeared in the middle.

Thump… … Thump… … .

The heavy vibration gradually fades away.

Verden, who had overcome the crisis of being discovered, calmed down his magic.

'That was dangerous.'

Golems are a heteromorphic species that remain active semi-permanently unless their core is destroyed.

However, the core was not visible on the flame golem.

It's probably hidden somewhere in the prison, but you'll have to search around the prison, spreading your magic power throughout the prison, to find it.

Meanwhile, the flame golem will run wild, saying it will kill Verden.

The aftermath of a battle, no matter how deep underground it was, was still a huge risk. I had no intention of successfully infiltrating and then being discovered in vain.

But… … this variable also worked positively for Verden.

There must be a reason why the natural golem is left unsuppressed. Moreover, judging from the fact that it is wandering around the prison, it would be a perfect fit for guarding.

'That means there is something in this dungeon.'

Of course, this is still just a hypothesis.

It was also possible that the vain Prince had simply left it alone. Even so, it was more than worth investigating.

Verden came down close to the ground.

I remembered exactly which direction the Flame Golem had disappeared in and how fast it had gone, and headed down the hallway it had come from.

The first day of the secret social gathering.

Verden began his exploration in earnest.

* * *

The conference room of the secret social club.

A large oval table in the center. At the head of the table, the first prince was sitting askew, resting his chin on his hand, and three others were sitting side by side on each side.

Prince Valgna dropped the papers.

Above it was written in detail the damage that had occurred in the southern part of the kingdom.

“Ha, how annoying. How much did we lose to a mere undead? And these nobles ran away because they couldn’t stop a single alien? How pathetic.”

I didn't really care how many civilians died.

A few thousand dead isn't that much damage compared to the entire kingdom. It will be restored in a few years.

One problem was that this would cause them to suffer greatly in political strife.

“The nobleman ran away without defending his territory…. Damn it, that damned Marquis of Esperance won’t stay still. He’ll definitely be holding on to him all day. Just imagining it makes me irritated.”

Then Robert said,

“So, we need to cut off the tail before that.”

"tail?"

“I will place the blame for the undead situation on Count Federick. If His Majesty arrests him in advance, Marquis Esperensa will not be able to come out strongly. And if he is purged at the right time, I think it will be somewhat resolved.”

"hmm……."

1The prince ran his finger over his forehead.

“If the Count dies, won’t my power be diminished?”

“This is something you need to take into consideration.”

“With the granary ruined, it will be very difficult to secure our own food supply for the next few years. If we suffer from famine, the kingdom will be more chaotic than expected, so one head of a count is a cheap way to appease their anger.”

The first prince slowly nodded at Cland's supplementary explanation.

“That’s right… I guess so. Is Nellita making those preparations?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. If you trust me and leave it to me, I will design it just as You wish. Just like I destroyed the family of the ‘Duke Rubinelian’ in the past.”

The Rubinellian Dukes.

He was once one of the four great dukes of the kingdom, until he was suppressed on suspicion of rebellion.

“Rubinelian… It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name. You certainly were a great help back then. Thanks to you, I was recognized as worthy by Abamama, and I was even granted a portion of the ducal territory. Yes, Nellita. I’ll leave it up to you this time too.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“The rest of you, help Nellita with all your heart. When I ascend to the throne in the future, I will take good care of you. Who knows? Everyone here may become nobles and lead the country.”

“We will provide support so that you will not lack funds.”

“My mercenary band is ready to obey your command at any time, Your Majesty.”

“Same thing……kick.”

1. Laughter broke out at the prince's words.

Robert looked at the next agenda with a blank expression. For a moment, Cland’s eyes twitched, but no one noticed.

“Oh, but what happened to my brothers?”

“……I will explain that.”

Cland, who cleared his throat slightly, continued speaking.

“Second Prince Rotnil is said to be gathering the high-ranking nobles who are his main supporters. He is said to be working hard to maintain his power by opening ballrooms, holding social gatherings, and giving gifts.”

“Well, that’s typical of Rotnil. He may be crazy about women, but he’s also a smooth talker, so much so that he’s called the prince of the social circle. And what about Evers?”

“The Third Prince Evers… is in a very precarious situation. The union collapsed due to the Marquis of Esperenza, and a lot of power was cut off while cutting off the tail, and the nobles who support the Third Prince are just waiting to see when they will back out.”

1The prince burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha! That’s a relief! Marquis Esperance asked a really good question. Thanks to him, Rotnil and I had some fun. He was glaring at me so arrogantly a while ago… I wonder what kind of expression he’ll have on his face now.”

“Kick, should I draw your portrait?”

“Okay. I have to see that with my own eyes. So what’s next?”

“I will tell you the next agenda item.”

The giant Dario took over the role.

The secret meeting of the social club was proceeding very smoothly. If things continued like this, we would have three days to spare, including rest time.

'… I hope things go smoothly on the other side too.'

Cland turned his gaze away from the floor and focused on the meeting.

Time passed little by little.

* * *

While the meeting continued, Verden devoted all his energy to exploration.

After moving quickly, flying here and there to avoid the flame golem, I was soon able to see most of the abandoned underground prison.

But there was no result.

'Did I think wrong?'

I thought something would come out, but I didn't think there would be anything at all.

Are you seriously abandoning the Flame Golem?

It didn't make sense logically, but… … I couldn't deny it since I hadn't actually found anything.

It seems that it is hidden in the center of the old royal palace, not here.

I had hoped to find it in an underground prison where there was less risk of detection, if possible, but it couldn't be helped since it turned out this way.

Still, I guess I'll have to be content with clearing one of the search areas.

Verden passed through the passage and headed towards the sewers.

That was when he reacted.

'……for a moment.'

Berden, who had stopped, turned his head.

The place he was standing now was the central corridor of the prison. According to the blueprint he remembered, there shouldn't have been any passages in the middle.

But in Verden's sight, a single road appeared.

A road that isn't on the blueprint.

Berden, his eyes narrowed, moved cautiously. Soon, he reached a dead end at the end of the road, and there was an empty prison on each side.

Rusty iron bars and tightly locked locks.

There was no sign of human hands, indicating that it had been abandoned for a long time. Like other prisons, it was completely unmanaged.

Certainly, since the blueprints were drawn up a long time ago, it wouldn't have been surprising if expansions had been made before the prison was abandoned.

Verden looked around the alley, which was blocked on all sides.

A total of 24 bars.

Two locks.

One wall.

Bricks, two on the floor and two protruding from the ceiling.

“…….”

Verden, who had been observing closely, took exactly eight steps back from the wall in front of him.

The scenery was still the same.

Looking at the damp humidity and thick rust, it seems like it's just an abandoned prison.

But you can only see as much as you know.

It was reflected exactly in Verden's eyes.

Lock in brick.

Pass the bricks in the ceiling, following the rust on the bars.

A circle that immediately leads back over the bars and locks to the starting point, the bricks.

And in the middle of it all is an old wall.

Verden was convinced.

“It’s a magic circle.”

And that's no ordinary level.

* * *

A deliberately placed artifact.

Hidden within that optical illusion were three different magic circles cleverly layered on top of each other.

The outermost one conceals traces of the magic circle itself, the middle one has protective magic engraved on it, and the inner one acts as a door.

It is by no means a magic circle that can be carved on a shallow level.

At least enough to discuss Verden and the magic circle. What particularly caught my eye was the protective magic circle in the middle.

<Toben's Gaze>

A high-difficulty magic circle created long ago by a wizard named Toben.

If you rashly touch the magic circle or attempt to destroy this space, the magical power will spread beyond the dungeon and shake the entire castle.

And the intruder is given a magical gaze.

An effect where your location is revealed in real time for a certain period of time. If you are hit by it, you will have to deal with all the troops in Ariante.

It's impossible to hide it with a stomach.

If you want to live, it is best to just turn your back and go back.

If it weren't for Verden's discovery.

'Found it.'

Verden, his eyes shining, immediately pulled out a thread of magic power and infiltrated it into the magic circle.

Although the magic circles are interconnected, it is only a matter of time. <Tobe's Gaze> is the same.

Square… … Square… … Smack.

The magic thread gnawed at the magic circle's waist, causing it to collapse one by one.

Not long after, the first magic circle broke, revealing two hidden magic circles.

He infiltrated the protective magic circle without paying any attention.

'Who on earth would have engraved something like this here?'

If your magical skills are as outstanding as your magic circle, then you might be on par with the black magician Viola. Or maybe even stronger.

Of course, it wasn't Verden who would be intimidated, no matter who it was.

Damn!

Soon, <Toben's Gaze> was shattered and the magical power dispersed into the air.

Now all that remains is the final magic circle.

Actually, there was no need to destroy this. It was just there to serve as an inquiry.

OMG.

I forcibly touched the inside and forcibly activated the magic circle.

Kookookookookook… … .

A blue light appears and the wall begins to move.

The bricks moved crosswise, revealing a passageway that wasn't there before. Beyond it, a rusty iron door stood alone.

He approached without hesitation and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Squeak.

Beyond the iron gate was a massive spiral staircase, at the center of which was a blood-stained magic elevator.

I looked up and saw that it was very high up.

In the darkness, hundreds of magic stone lights glowed faintly.

'It's incredibly suspicious.'

Verden was convinced that this was the secret the First Prince had been hiding.

Horsepower elevators are noisy.

Verden, who had all his senses sharpened, including sight, hearing, and touch, slowly climbed the stairs while holding the Oculus tightly.

Although there is only one path, there may be hidden devices or traps that you haven't noticed. There is also a possibility that you may encounter someone who came down from above along the way.

Even if it took time, I had to proceed cautiously.

And so, before I knew it, I had reached the top.

'It's so damn tall.'

If I roughly measure the speed of ascent, it seems like it has reached the center of the castle… … It may not be exact, but it should be similar.

Verden wiped the sweat with the back of his hand.

When I raised my head, the door appeared again. Unlike before, it was a very clean iron door.

I pulled the doorknob carefully.

It seemed to be well-maintained, as there wasn't even a squeaking noise. Berden lowered his body and quickly entered inside.

Closed door.

A voice brushed past Verden's ear.

───Hehehehehe.

A lively hum.

Verden turned his attention to the epicenter. He poked his head out from behind a thick pillar.

“Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.”

Someone in a white gown is humming.

In front of him was a metal table, and on the table was a person. Judging from the fact that his skin was completely bloodless, he seemed to be a corpse.

But his facial features were strange.

A man with pointed ears, a handsome face, and emerald hair, unlike humans. Verden knew what those characteristics meant.

'Elf… … ?'