Chapter 163. Viola of White Bones (1)
Thanks to the efforts of Bishop Ronanderk, the survivors of the diocese were able to escape death. Bishop Vaidelr, who had been gravely wounded, was no exception.
In addition, perhaps because the magic circle had vanished, Warrens's condition did not worsen further.
No one had yet regained consciousness, but the situation was, at the very least, improving.
Gloss assigned part of the paladins he had brought to manage the diocese. Bishop Ronanderk filled the empty seat in his stead.
Because to face a powerful black mage, the strength of a bishop was absolutely necessary.
Srrrk.
Bishop Ronanderk opened his eyes on the sickbed.
After days of drawing on divine power in constant tension, his mind and body had reached the height of exhaustion. Thus, after sleeping a full day and night, the bishop straightened his attire and stepped out of the chamber.
Past unfamiliar corridors and out into the open, he found himself not on the peaceful streets of the diocese, but upon the vast expanse of sky.
On the deck of the airship Velos.
Bishop Ronanderk recalled the events that had led here.
'For me, a bishop of the Church of Luas, to have taken part in theft…'
To pursue the vile black mage, an airship was essential.
There had been no other way, and for the sake of the Church of Luas… further still, for the sake of the world, this had been the right decision. Surely Lord Luas would forgive.
Yes, it had been unavoidable.
And yet, even so, his heart was unsettled.
It wasn't as though he had stolen a hard loaf of bread from a street vendor, but that he had abetted the theft of a strategic asset, an airship itself, committing a heinous crime of the highest order. That knowledge left him in turmoil.
"Haha… to think I would become an airship thief…"
Bishop Ronanderk gave a hollow laugh, staring blankly out at the scenery.
Meanwhile, Verden was in the wheelhouse with Calia.
He found himself quietly impressed at her skillful handling of the airship. He had heard that piloting one was dozens of times more difficult than driving a carriage.
Noticing his gaze, Calia shrugged her shoulders.
"What, is it so strange to you that a noble lady can pilot an airship?"
"It is certainly remarkable."
"Well, of course. Among all the nobles of the kingdom, there can't be more than a handful who can handle one themselves."
"Did you learn piloting within your family?"
"Not to boast, but our Esperanza family owns a total of five airships. Three small vessels are kept in the Territ territory, while two more are hidden near Rines. Among the kingdom's nobles, we possessed the greatest number of airships, so I had many chances to ride them from an early age."
Of course, Calia had not contented herself with merely sitting in them.
"As I grew used to flight, I wanted to try piloting myself. So I secretly asked the helmsman, and gradually learned each function. I even seized the helm to practice takeoffs and landings when my father wasn't watching. I nearly killed myself a few times when I crashed, though."
She laughed off the memory of near-death as if it were nothing.
Being confined by Marquis Esperanza as punishment, stealing the airship this time—her decisiveness was certainly unmatched.
"Anyway, we've traveled quite a distance. How far remains?"
Verden discreetly checked the compass of the Black Hour.
Its needle still pointed in the same direction, and the reaction had grown a little stronger.
"At this pace, we should arrive in two to three days."
"Ho, I see."
Calia pretended to gaze at the landscape, though her eyes flicked toward Verden.
'Asher… an even more secretive man than I thought.'
Powerful magic.
A method to track a black mage.
Even the removal of the magic circle from Warrens.
Her particular curiosity was deeply stirred.
How could one so young possess such ability? Surely it was overwhelming magical talent, yet she doubted it was only that.
Calia found herself increasingly curious about Verden.
She cleared her throat and asked,
"Hrmm, come to think of it, what should have been no more than the removal of the Orb of the Undead's foundation has turned into quite the tangled affair. The mausoleum, the undead outbreak, even the diocese… I must thank you for following this far."
"It is but an extension of the commission."
"Even so, most would have run. That's usually the answer, for one only has a single life."
A single life.
That truth was not only for Verden.
"Then why did you not run, Lady Calia?"
Calia had received no guaranteed reward like Verden.
On the contrary, having hired him, she suffered nothing but loss financially.
What had driven her to come this far?
She answered,
"If I must put it simply, there are two reasons."
First, because she was a noble.
A noble is one who rules.
They reign over the people, and bear the duty to protect their land and their subjects, and, in the broader sense, their kingdom.
The Glory of the Dead was clearly a group that harmed both territory and citizens, and even threatened the state. Naturally, they had to be eliminated. To abandon that noble duty and flee was something Calia could not permit herself to do.
And second,
"Because I want the world to become a little cleaner."
"…The world, you say?"
"Well, to be honest, it's only a lofty goal in words. In truth, all I can do is purge criminals within the kingdom."
Yet,
"That is the righteous path I have chosen for myself. Even if the destination seems too far away, that does not mean I cannot walk toward it. I swear, the result of my actions will not be meaningless. That is my answer."
…The world.
As she said, a lofty goal indeed.
Even if she slew thousands of criminals within the kingdom and saved tens of thousands of innocents, the influence on the world would be minuscule.
By contrast, Verden's goal was a personal vendetta.
As a mage, to topple all that the tower master of Bohemirn, the transcendent Balrog Bessias, had built, and force that lofty, arrogant figure to his knees.
But the repercussions of that would shake the world greatly.
Still, Verden could not judge.
Ideal and resentment.
Which was greater, Calia's goal or Verden's?
He pondered for a long while.
Yet in the end, he could not reach a conclusion.
***
The compass of the Black Hour reacted violently.
Confirming the needle's direction once more, Verden spoke to Calia.
"It seems to be in this vicinity."
Calia nodded, and gradually lowered the altitude of the airship.
Whoooosh.
Passing through a thick veil of clouds high in the sky, a vast and deep canyon, hidden beyond the mountains, revealed itself.
"To think such a place existed in the kingdom, I never even dreamed of it."
The canyon was immensely wide, wide enough for a single airship to enter without trouble.
Calia steered the vessel into the canyon.
Finding a place relatively free of obstacles, she activated the landing gear, carefully setting the airship down. Soon after, the glow faded from the mana stone that served as its power source.
Once they confirmed no enemies were nearby, everyone disembarked.
Verden took the lead.
"This way."
Following the compass needle, he explored along the canyon floor.
Not long after, a structure was discovered along the wall.
A door of gray stone, with collapsed pillars standing nearby.
Reconstructing its ruined exterior in imagination, it might have been called a temple, yet its form was utterly different from temples known to the world.
Granen, the mage of the White Crest Knights,
well-versed in ancient history, examined the entrance.
"This door is so old that I cannot even begin to estimate its age. It seems highly likely that it was made in ancient times…"
Granen carefully read the script left on the door.
"Ritual chamber… it says ritual chamber."
"It does not say what kind of ritual?"
"It seems there once was a name in front, but it has been erased with time."
"I see. Then, can the entrance be opened?"
Granen shook his head, pointing to the center of the door.
A magic circle was engraved there, geometry and script intricately entwined.
"The entrance itself is sealed by some kind of magic circle. Because of it, the materials that form the entrance are reinforced, far tougher than any ordinary metal."
"So breaking it down physically is impossible?"
"Yes, that is correct."
The circle could be dispelled to open it,
but that was no simple feat.
Magic circles were a field of extreme difficulty.
To unravel one required not only immense knowledge, but also vast experience.
No matter how great one's talent, without the necessary effort, reaching such mastery was impossible.
'I must ask Asher.'
After all, he had once removed the circle from Warrens.
Though Granen had not witnessed the process directly, his reluctance to reveal it suggested that he surely possessed some magical item on par with an artifact.
They had no choice but to rely on him.
Just as Calia turned her head,
Crack.
The sound of something breaking reached their ears.
Creeeeak. With a grotesque sound, the door opened, revealing a dust-filled darkness within.
The ancient magic circle,
so old and unstable within, could not withstand Verden's dispelling arts, not even for a moment.
"I will go in first."
Holding the Oculus, Verden stepped inside the ritual chamber without even glancing back.
At that sight, Calia muttered,
"…There are limits, even to versatility, are there not?"
Utterly absurd.
Everyone silently agreed with her.
***
"…Eh?"
Viola, who had been idly passing the time, suddenly leapt to her feet.
Nosa, who had been conducting the ritual, turned his black eyes toward her.
"What is it?"
"Well, um… the magic circle at the entrance just shattered."
"What?"
The circle at the entrance of the ritual chamber had been inscribed in ancient times.
A sealing circle that would never open without the utterance of a special code. Viola had linked that circle to herself, so that if an intruder ever appeared, she would know immediately.
Even for an expert of circles like Viola, it had been a bothersome task, as troublesome as maintaining constant connection between a grimoire and its owner.
She had loathed the idea, but Nosa had forced her, and she had had no choice.
And yet, just now, it had broken.
"It isn't just that it broke on its own?"
"Of course not!"
Nosa's fury burst forth.
"An intruder! Whoever they are, they must have tracked you. How will you answer for this, Viola!"
"Hey, don't shout at me! Maybe they were following you instead!"
"..."
Grit.
Veins bulged on Nosa's face as he clenched his teeth. At that sight, Viola quickly stepped back.
"Fine, fine! I'll take care of it, so don't worry."
"…You had better."
Nosa was at the final stage of the ritual.
It demanded enormous concentration, and unless he abandoned it midway, he could not spare the effort to move personally. Besides, his other subordinates were already following Rimanen out of the kingdom.
That meant Viola was the only black mage available to face the intruders.
Viola smirked.
"What are you so worried about? I can handle them myself, but, in any case, you still have your undead here."
Thud… thud…
From within the darkness of the ritual chamber, the undead appeared.
A death knight.
And alongside him, numerous mid-ranked undead, including Death Gatherers, undead guardians, all part of the formidable host Nosa personally commanded.
Viola revealed a chilling killing intent.
"Paladins or whoever they are, I'll crush them easily, and bring back their corpses as gifts. So just sit tight and wait."
The ritual chamber had two entrances.
Now, with undead groups guarding each, Viola began to move as well.