Chapter 159 – A Request for Aid!
The three just stood there dumbly and stared towards the gate.
The black dragon that had been there a moment ago had now vanished into the distance. It was as if they could not believe it.
Even we could not believe that this underground area had been connected to the sky…
Just then, a voice echoed inside of my head.
It was Shiel's voice.
"Lord Heal. This is the teleportation gate that we made when we were trapped down here."
Shiel was using a device that was near the gate in order to talk to me.
"Teleportation… Ah, so it's like the Teleportation Stones."
Teleportation Stones allowed you to instantly teleport to places where the stones were set. A gate of this size must be able to teleport you very far away.
"I see. So that's why it's connected to the outside. But then, who are they…"
Rienna asked as watched the armed trio.
There were no inhabited islands near us.
That meant they had to have come from the continent.
However, I had never heard their language before.
At the very least, they were not from the Kingdom of Sanfaris, or the Barleon continent. It would have to be somewhere more far away… A place that was at least a month's voyage by ship.
Shiel answered as if she knew what I was thinking.
"I didn't expect to see humans either… This gate was supposed to lead to a place that is an inversion of where we stand… In the sea."
Inversion? I didn't understand what she meant.
However, the place that was supposed to be a sea was now paved with stone… It looked like the top of a castle wall or tower.
I was very confused, but the three strangers were looking at us with even more confused expressions.
"Uh, umm… I suppose we should at least talk?"
I said. And the three nodded silently. They had put away their weapons now, so it was clear that they understood that we meant them no harm.
"Thank you… I'm Heal, the lord of this cave and island. Who are you?"
"Island? Cave? …Does that mean this place connected to something?"
The oldest one, who was likely the leader, pointed to the hole behind us.
Until we arrived, the gate had been the only way into this place. And since they had not been able to break the walls, they saw this place as just an empty space.
"Yes. Just a moment ago…"
"But we couldn't even scratch those golden walls… Ah, forgive me, I am Ogus. Captain of the Royal Guard of Arancia, the Holy Country, and also the guardian of this Temple of Silence."
Said the old man. Then the woman with blue hair who looked like a sorcerer, continued.
"And I am Vanessa. I'm also a guardian."
"As am I! My name is Karla!"
Said a woman who wore light armor.
"Temple of Silence…this place?"
"Yes. An empty room that cannot be hurt. A temple built by the gods… However, not once have the gods ever come down here. Until today, that is."
Ogus said as he looked towards me with serious eyes.
"Allow me to be frank. Are you all gods?"
He wasn't mocking us. His expression was earnest.
"Unfortunately, no. We're just ordinary humans and monsters. And this place is just a ruin made by ancient people."
"Indeed, you do look a lot like us… However, to break through those walls…"
Vanessa nodded at Ogus's words.
"And that magic you used earlier. That's not something a human should be capable of. And so while you do resemble us, you must be a different kind of 'human.'"
It was true that their magic did not compare to ours.
And that was also true for the people of Sanfaris. But the only reason for that was that we had gained immense power on this island. That was all.
However, I had never heard of this country called Arancia.
It must be some place so far away that there was no communication between them and Sanfaris… A place that was outside of the maps that I had studied. After all, I had not heard of the Elto continent either.
But more importantly, the ominous air beyond the gate was bothering me…
I doubted any crops would grow under a sky like that. Could people live in such an environment?
Besides, that dragon was clearly too strong for these three to handle. You could not live safely if monsters like that were flying through the sky.
And so I asked them.
"That dragon just now. Is it related to how the sky looks?"
"Yes…ever since the sky changed, our country and continent have been in turmoil. Black rain falls from the sky, and both man and beast go mad. And that includes those who are already dead… They now outnumber those of us who still haven't lost our minds."
Upon hearing Ogus's words, I immediately thought of the tentacles that were attached to Garuda, the giant bee.
Garuda had also lost his mind and was going wild because of them.
The mist that had enveloped the tentacles had a similar feeling.
"It's just like what happened to Garuda…"
I muttered. The trio looked at each other as if to confirm something.
Then Ogus bowed his head.
"Lord Heal…we have a request. Would it be possible for you to help us?"
It was a request for aid from a very far away place.
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Chapter 160 – There was a vast city!
"Would it be possible for you to help us?"
Asked Ogus, the man who had come from the gate, as he bowed his head.
His companions, Vanessa and Karla also bowed deeply.
I did want to help them… However, I was the lord of this island. I couldn't endanger the people who lived here. And so it wasn't something I could easily accept.
First, I turned towards Rienna and the others.
"Lord Heal. Please don't worry about us."
As if to agree with Rienna's words, Fule and the others started to nod.
"Thank you, everyone. Mister Ogus… We would like to help, if there is anything that we can do. But first, can you give us a detailed explanation of what is happening?"
Upon hearing these words, Ogus and the others looked at each other and exclaimed happily, 'Thank you!'
Then Ogus raised his head and continued.
"If you go out of this gate, you will come into the center of our city. But I think that it will be easier for you to understand if you saw it in person."
"Very well. Then will you guide us out of the gate?"
"Of course."
Ogus said. And then he headed for the gate.
The rest of us followed him.
I had been wondering what was behind the gate, but when I looked, there was nothing. It was just an open space. And when I moved back to the front, it was connected to the outside…hmm. It made my head hurt.
In any case, this place beyond the gate was very, very far away. And so I braced myself as I stepped through.
"It's…"
When we passed the gate, we found ourselves in a world that was darker than the night sky. I couldn't see the moon or any stars. Instead, there was rain and numerous bolts of lightning that illuminated the ground.
And below, I could see countless buildings and flickering lights…it was a city. A city fortress that was surrounded in a high, white wall that was in the shape of a circle.
The rain seemed to only pour outside of the city walls, and not over the city itself.
However, when I looked past the walls, I saw pitch black shadows.
It was as if there were a black sea that stretched for eternity. And in that vast sea, floated a lone island city…
"This is astonishing… Are we on a tower?"
I moved towards the edge and looked down.
The tower was very tall.
It seemed taller than Sheorl's World Tree.
"Woah…"
I wasn't good with heights.
For a moment, I started to feel dizzy, but Rienna and the others were quick to support me.
"Are you okay, Lord Heal? Still, this really is a strange sight…I can't see any green at all."
As Rienna said, there were no farmlands or fields of grass. And no matter how much she squinted, she could not see a single tree.
Ogus opened his mouth.
"Yes. As bad as it is now, there was still some greenery outside of these walls last year. However, the black rain finally… As you can see, the sun does not shine anywhere but here."
Ogus said as he looked up.
You couldn't even see the sun, but the space right above the city was relatively brighter. If it was nighttime outside of the walls, then it was a cloudy day over here.
Rienna said,
"So, you must be having food shortages then?"
"Yes. We cannot catch any fish, so the only thing we can eat is mushrooms. And we are using magic to alter the amount and quality, but… It's not enough to feed all thirty thousand residents of this city."
"I'll have some food sent to you at once."
I said, and Rienna nodded.
"Fish would be best. I'll help the others catch some… Huh?"
Suddenly, fireballs were unleashed from the walls in front of us.
The smaller ones were likely fire arrows, while the larger ones seemed to be from a trebuchet.
As soon as they landed, they created a wall of fire.
However, it was then that a black dragon appeared on the other side of the wall. It was quite similar to the last one we saw. No, it was a bit smaller.
"This attack is on a greater scale than usual…tsk. But I think they should be able to stop it."
Ogus had a pained expression.
It seemed like these kinds of attacks were not rare, but this one was worse than usual…
"Mister Ogus. Allow us to deal with it."
"Re-really? But it's too far away to go right now…"
It didn't seem too far away because we were looking down from a great height, but if we descended from the tower and through the city…it would likely take over an hour.
"It's fine. Taran. Can you help?"
Upon hearing this, Taran immediately lowered her body.
And so we got onto her back.
However, she could only carry me, Rienna, and Fule.
Shiel was also able to fit on. But I decided to leave Number 15 by the gate, both for protection, and also so it could report back to Baris and the others.
"Uhh…I think we can fit one more person. Will one of you come with us? It would be good to have a guide. And the people on the walls might be confused if it's only us."
Ogus answered me.
"Vanessa and I will go to the king and tell him of your arrival. Karla, will you be their guide?"
"Ye-yes! Excuse me!"
Karla looked nervous as she got up onto Taran.
"Let's go then. Taran. We're ready."
And with that, Taran jumped off of the tower.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"
The floating sensation caused someone to scream…but it wasn't me. It was Karla.
Taran was shooting out her webs one after another and swinging as she made her way through the air.