Chapter 2, Part 3:
There was nothing before my eyes but a vast expanse of gray.
I stumbled around for a moment before I realized I was surrounded by gravestones.
Even though the gravestones had been regularly cleaned, erosion had still worn at them. I could imagine the engravings of the names of the dead being blown to pieces by the wind.
This was a dream.
I was in Blackmore Graveyard, a place that always reminded me of the raspy voice of a certain person.
—“That is what you must destroy! That, and only that!”
I had heard this countless times from Bersac Blackmore, the man who had taught me secret arts of grave keeping.
Thinking back, he probably wanted to give me strength to call my own, regardless of whether I was to become the vessel of King Arthur or my own person. But it wasn’t like he would have ever told me that.
“I…”
I staggered about in the thick mist. There seemed to be nothing beyond the graveyard, as if the place that made me so nostalgic was actually a prison. No, it was actually more like I would be safe from disaster as long as I stayed here. But eventually, I would rot and die here anyway.
“Hey, we don’t have time for you think stupid things like that. This is an emergency, not nap time! Wake up.”
A sarcastic voice struck my eardrums.
“Add...?”
No. It wasn’t Add.
A hazy figure appeared beside me. For some reason, this figure seemed familiar. It dawned on me, finally, that the voice I heard had also belonged to a knight. But that knight was a shadow of the past, and should have disappeared after the incident in my hometown.
“…Sir Kay?”
“Don’t get too close to fairies, or else you’ll mess up reality. It’s even worse in dreams, thanks to that court mage, Merlin.”
Though I couldn’t see his face, he seemed to be smirking.
The sudden appearance of this man made my head whirl, as if I had been tossed into a hurricane. It wasn’t like I expected to ever see him again, after all.
“U-um…”
The figure continued to speak without pausing to acknowledge my feelings.
“Time and space seem fuzzy here… You’re probably here because that kid’s getting close. That also must be why your dream was set here, in the graveyard.”
“‘That kid’…?”
In response, the figure shook his head.
“I guess you could call her my little sister.”
Sir Kay’s little sister…?
…That must mean the great king who my body was supposed to belong to. What did it mean if she was getting close?
The ground beneath my feet began to shake, as if my dream was about to be torn apart. This, at least, seemed to finally get the attention of that figure.
“Alright, you have a place you need to go back to. You shouldn’t be wandering around here.”
The figure waved his fingers, drawing a shining line in the darkness.
“Is that…?”
The line’s light grew, taking over my vision like an approaching star.
He was right. I couldn’t stay here anymore.
“Have some faith in yourself. It’s almost over, so I hope fate goes easy on you.”
The knight’s voice was low. I wrapped my arms around myself, and my dream shattered around me.
*
“Gray. Gray?”
I heard a worried voice and felt the weight of a hand on my shoulder.
Through the leather glove, the hand felt gentle and warm, as if handling something fragile. On that note, my mentor had changed gloves before we came down here. The soft smell of cigars and leather tugged at my consciousness, and I slowly roused from my haze.
Above me, the Magic Circuits of the dragon shone with brilliant light. In my half-awake state, I recalled that Flue had suggested that we rest for a bit. I had been so tired, I probably fell asleep immediately.
“Sir...”
My senses came back to me all at once, and I was immediately aware of our current situation.
My hair was stuck to my forehead with sweat. I probably hadn’t slept in a very flattering pose. Thinking about it was enough to make my face heat up in embarrassment.
“S-sorry. I just had a strange dream.”
“A dream?”
“I-It’s nothing.”
In any case, I couldn’t admit that I had dreamt of Sir Kay. I hurriedly wiped the sweat from my face and looked down.
“Sorry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” My mentor said, smiling gently.
“Heheh! What a worrywart! You don’t have to worry about how Gray’s doing as long as I’m here.” From beside me, the box I kept in a birdcage chimed, metal creaking as it moved its mouth.
I wanted to ask if he had seen my dream of Sir Kay as well, but I found it too difficult to ask.
Instead, it was my mentor who asked Add a question.
“Are you alright as well, Add?”
“…Oh, yeah.”
It was rare to see Add close his carved eyes so quickly without making any unnecessary jokes. Though he didn’t say it outright, his intent was clear. I would not be able to use Rhongomyniad again.
It was as the director of the Atlas Institute had said back in my hometown. Ever since I released the Seal of Thirteen during the fight on the Rail Zeppelin, Add had begun to break apart. Though its self-repair abilities meant that it was not eternally asleep, it would not withstand another use of the lance.
Even though I had kept this a secret from Add and my mentor, they already knew. Briefly, I wondered how bad I must have been at hiding things.
For this reason, there was something else I had to say.
“But Sir, you’re still going to continue onward regardless, right?”
“Well…” A frown formed between my mentor’s eyebrows.
“I don’t think inconveniencing other people will stop you from going, Sir, because Mr. Iskandar’s…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence. It didn’t seem right for someone like me to try and summarize my mentor’s relationship with the king who was about to be transformed into a Divine Spirit. I was the only one that needed to hear my thoughts. All I had to do was witness his journey.
Scratching his head, my mentor gave a troubled sigh.
“I feel like I keep getting scolded by you on this trip.”
“That’s because you’re usually the one doing the scolding, Sir.”
Strangely enough, I also smiled at that. Still, my happiness didn’t last very long.
“Sir, are you…”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing in comparison[1].”
Though his face bore a slight smile, it wasn’t only pale because of the illumination by the light of the dragon’s Magic Circuits. Still, that was no longer a reason for him to stop in his tracks. At this depth, the labyrinth would take a toll on us no matter how careful we were. Even though we had avoided direct conflict, the dense Magical Energy of Albion churned inside us. Since my mentor had the worst resistance to Mana among all of us, it was only natural that he would feel the effects first.
“Not to embarrass you, Lord El-Melloi II, but can you still walk?” Flue asked for precisely this reason.
“…To be honest, breathing is getting difficult, but I’ll be fine.”
“Take this.”
Flueger tossed him a bag of vials.
“You can think of it like magical altitude sickness. It’s water off a duck’s back to someone with strong enough Magic Circuits, but you’d probably be better off with these.”
“…Thank you.”
My mentor downed the contents of one of the vials with a miserable expression, only to look three times as miserable when he was finished.
Next, Flueger packed up the Mystic Code that we had used to camp. Along some more incense, it created a Bounded Field that warded off monsters. Flue had warned us that not all monsters would be deterred, but luckily, we had been spared that unfortunate fate.
We had just finished our second rest after being in the maze for nearly half a day. Every twist and turn of the Great Magic Circuit that we encountered along the shortcut we were taking brought a new type of terrain completely different from the last. So far, I had seen a lush jungle, a misty tundra, a field of bubbling lava, and hills illuminated by constant lightning. Even though I thought I had seen a lot, Flue insisted that we hadn’t even seen one percent of this place.
Our journey was surprisingly peaceful, no doubt thanks to Geraff’s map and Luvia and Seigen’s efforts. Seigen was incredibly sensitive to subtle changes in the environment thanks to his training, a skill which he hadn’t had the chance to use in the Adra incident, due to his being the culprit.
Now, we were probably around the twenty-seventh floor. Although saying that, we hadn’t been descending one floor at a time. The dark passageway that Flue had led us through had deposited us on the fourth floor.
“The top ten floors of the Great Magic Circuit have all been scraped clean of resources. Nowadays, mining starts from the thirtieth floor, while the sixtieth floor is about the deepest skilled teams are willing to go. Where we’re going is the Ancient Heart, which is on the one hundred and fiftieth floor.”
“…So there’s no way we’re going to make it in time.”
Instead of getting mad at me for the thoughts that escaped my mouth, Flue nodded dejectedly.
“Of course not. Most of the time, breaching the hundredth floor is accomplished by a bunch of teams working together. They set up campsites and roads along the way, forming a path that can last a few months or a year. No matter how many shortcuts you take, this is as far as traveling half a day’s gonna take you.”
Before I came here myself, I never could have imagined that people would go that far to mine things. Now, the idea felt a little more likely.
“…So, in order to reach the Ancient Heart in half a day, we gotta take a different approach. A path that no excavator in their right mind would take.”
With this, we left the place where we had just camped and walked for another half an hour or so.
Eventually, we came to a stop before a vast expanse of nothingness, and we all stood, shocked into silence.
“You wouldn’t think it, but the entrance to the thirtieth floor still has some stuff in it. More experienced teams typically pass right by it, but the uppermost floors are the best place for the greener excavators to find talismans if they’re too scared to go any deeper.”
Flue’s words were met by the low buzzing of the maze, as we were all still struggling to process the sight in front of us.
Finally, Seigen spoke up.
“…Is this what Geraff mentioned before?”
“He calls it the
.”
The pit in question was the giant circular hole that we currently stood at the edge of.
I tossed a pebble into it, but even with my enhanced hearing, I couldn’t hear it strike the bottom.
“…The Ancient Heart is approximately tens of kilometers under the Mining City. In regular reality, that would be deep enough to reach Earth’s mantle, so of course you can’t hear it hit the ground.”
“But Albion doesn’t sit on the same coordinate plane as reality, right?”
My mentor nodded in response to my question.
“As far as theories of reality are concerned, we should have run out of oxygen long ago. Although magecraft can distort the laws of physics, creating things from nothing is not simple. The only thing that is keeping us alive is the fact that Albion exists in a fissure between here and there… However, such a nature also has a negative effect on us,” my mentor said, looking down into the giant hole. “…The Pit of Oblivion. What a fitting name. Is it really deep enough to reach the Ancient Heart?”
“No one knows, because nobody who’s gone in has come back alive. All I can guarantee is that my teacher is an astrologist. When he discovered this hole, he supposedly felt that the flow here connected to the dragon’s heart. It’s worth a bet, right?”
“Nonononono, that’s not the problem here at all!” Seigen interrupted, his gaze darting between the two people. “I know we’re mages, so we can survive jumping down from buildings. But tens of kilometers?! Also, the Mana here is peppered with holes. What’s there to stop us from going splat if the spell fails?!”
The situation had been similar in the Child of Einnashe, a forest that had appeared to obstruct the Rail Zeppelin. If it wasn’t for the support provided by Melvin, we wouldn’t have been able to use enhancement properly. I probably would have died there.
This situation was even more dire.
“We can’t use a rope, because they don’t make ropes long enough. So our only option is gliding down with Mystic Codes. You only need a pinch of Od to operate these.”
Flue took out several Mystic Codes that seemed to be made of small pieces of cloth. They looked more like bird wings than gliders.
“Are those Icarus’ Wings[2]? They must not have been easy to find.” Luvia commented.
“You can’t fly with them, but it should be enough to glide down there.”
“I suppose we’re not going to fly too close to the sun from here, after all.”
Though Luvia looked surprised, she still acted composed. Even so, I was sure that she must have had her doubts.
“Seems like a risky gamble…” Seigen said, shuddering and shaking his head.
“This entire trip is a risky gamble. The Ancient Heart is the deepest part of the Clock Tower that can be reached. If you go down even further, you’ll reach the Realm of the Fairies, a place where no human has ever set foot.”
My mentor’s words reminded me of the map that Svin had drawn. Beneath the Mining City, the Greater Magic Circuit, and the Ancient Heart, was the Realm of the Fairies. Albion did not end there. Rather, it was just that humans did not know what lay there.
Flue continued to explain as he passed out the Mystic Codes.
“Everything from here is unknown. Even if this hole is directly connected to the Ancient Heart, it doesn’t mean that our work is done once we get down. Remember, we’re here to find Heartless. We ought to take any rests we can as we head down.”
“Rest? As we glide down the pit? That doesn’t sound like a good idea.” My mentor said, putting on the Mystic Code. I followed his movements and clumsily put it on myself. It appeared that I only needed to activate my Magic Circuits to activate it as well.
“I want to test this a little before we jump.” My mentor said, touching his shoulder, which was now covered by the wings.
“No, we should probably jump right now. I was just wondering how a hole of this size was made. Now I get it.” Seigen said, leaning over so my mentor could hear him whisper.
“So what made this hole?” Flueger frowned.
One of Luvia’s eyebrows shot upward as one of the gemstones floating around her began to shine with a faint light.
Suddenly, the ground a few meters behind them burst, revealing the things that had been hiding inside.
“…An earthworm!?”
It didn’t seem right to call this monstrosity by the same name as its tiny surface counterparts. It was the same size as the Rail Zeppelin, less like an animal and more like a storm cloud. What made it worse was that it was not alone.
“Move it!”
At Flue’s instruction, we dove into the Pit of Oblivion.
However, the giant earthworms pursued us ruthlessly, like predators that finally tricked some prey. They twisted their way in behind us and began to close in.
“How are they catching up!? We’re basically in a free fall!”
“That means they’re not as stupid as they look! This is Albion, after all!”
“This is truly ridiculous!”
The wings on Luvia’s back unfolded, allowing her to glide with the grace of an angel even though this was her first time trying it on.
“Call!”
Together with the short incantation, a magic bullet tore through the darkness.
*
The Mining City also had places to buy food and drink. The food was from cultures on the surface, which made sense considering the city above it was quite multinational. The mages and spellcasters here had created something like a compressed version of London.
Though saying that, the cafe described in the note didn’t belong in London at all. I felt more like I was in a Western amidst the old wooden tables, dust-covered blackboards with the menu scrawled on, and sparse guests.
In this environment, a girl in a hood blended right in.
Just so you know, most of the people here wore hoods, possibly so they wouldn’t breathe in too much dust. I had also heard exciting tales of parasitic plants in Albion that took root in people’s lungs if they breathed in its spores.
“So? Why did you call me here, Olgamarie?”
“You came. I thought you would stand me up.” The heir to the Animusphere said with a smile. Her silver hair peeked out from her hood, giving her an ethereal look in the dim light. I take back what I said earlier. It’d take much less than ten years for people to start vying for her affection. Of course, that was assuming mages weren’t too twisted for that.
I closed one of my eyes and shrugged.
“The last time I received an invitation like that was before I was named as the heir to the family. There’s no way I could ignore something that reminds me so much of a girls’ school.”
“Are girls’ schools like that?” Olgamarie asked, tilting her petite head. “I’ve never been to school. I was taught by tutors my father hired.”
“They must have been excellent tutors, then.”
“…Yes, they were. Especially Trisha.”
I couldn’t help but take note of the expression on Olgamarie’s face as she said that. Trisha was the name of her attendant, who had been killed on the Rail Zeppelin. I could sense the importance of her presence from the way Olgamarie mentioned her name.
After a few seconds, Olgamarie tossed aside her sadness and looked to me again with her amber eyes.
“I have something to ask you,” she said, as if she was telling me a secret. “I’ll get straight to the point. Is the El-Melloi Faction opposed to the redevelopment of Albion?”
“Oh, that was sudden.”
I lifted a hand in amusement, which only made her gaze harden. It seemed I couldn’t get away with levity this time.
“Isn’t it the best opportunity for you to rise to the top?”
Olgamarie’s question was aimed straight at the heart of the matter.
I never expected to hear this question in, of all places, this dingy little cafe. I immediately worried that other people would hear our conversation, but no one looked toward us. It appeared that Olgamarie had created a tiny bounded field just then.
I deliberately paused for a few seconds before speaking again.
“It won’t matter if we’re deposed before that, though. If a weak faction like us dares go against the will of the powerful ones up top, our heads will roll. Literally.”
“Yes, but the redevelopment of Albion has never been the true goal of either faction, hasn’t it?”
It was a sharp observation. If Lord Trambelio brought up the redevelopment of Albion again, it would doubtlessly become the subject of the meeting. However, it had nothing to do with the major goals of the Democratic or the Aristocratic Faction.
“In addition, the Barthmelois sent us a letter from the previous Lord saying that the redevelopment of Albion should be stopped.”
“The previous Lord? That means…”
That meant that there was no changing the Barthmelois’ minds, even if you ignored the letter.
Gosh, what kind of scary things was this little girl thinking about?!
Since it was from the previous Lord, the Barthomelois must have anticipated that people would object. This letter ensured that they would not lose face.
“In that case, all we need to do is claim that [this is no longer a matter between the Aristocratic Faction and the Democratic Faction alone]. That evens the playing field so the Animuspheres are not inferior to the Eulyphis’. If our votes are the only metric, the two of us can overturn the entire Grand Roll.” Olgamarie announced, strong intent shining in her amber eyes.
I wasn’t given an opportunity to say something in return. Now came the intermission.
Olgamarie looked away, and the bounded field around us shattered. A waiter walked up and served us a few dishes.
Although I wasn’t really hungry, I took a bite of the oddly crunchy sandwich on one of the plates. Perhaps to hide less savory tastes, the meat had been overly seasoned. I couldn’t even tell what kind of meat it was. How exhilarating! (TN: Reines, please never change.)
I thought back to what Olgamarie had just said.
“…I see. You’ve grown up.”
“I hope you can tell who I learnt it from.”
To be honest, I found her backtalk quite cute. However, it was a bad habit for her to be so direct. She couldn’t go around telling people things without grasping their weaknesses first. It was good for me, though, as I wouldn’t have to run around in circles trying to understand her true intentions.
“…What? Do you have a problem with being on the same team as me?”
I knew I was just picking at a quarrel at this point, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Don’t mind me. Being ‘studied’ just reminds me of the past. Unlike your tutors, my housekeeper was truly good-for-nothing.”
The housekeeper in question left a long time ago. One day, I would get him to pay for turning me into this kind of person.
But for now, it wasn’t the time to think about that. Back to the issue at hand.
The Aristocratic Faction was powerful, but it was far from stable. It was made up of a bunch of egotistical pieces that had differing goals and morals, liable to fall apart at the slightest disagreement. This made the Barthomelois and the Department of Law ever more important.
If the faction did break into pieces, it would never piece itself back together.
This was probably why the faction at the very tip of the Aristocratic Faction, the Barthomelois, were always so slow to make a move. It was in their style to keep a plan in action for decades at a time.
Having said that, it wasn’t like the El-Melloi Faction was united, either. We had fallen, only to fall even further down since the death of the previous Lord El-Melloi. The impact of his death still corroded us to this day, making our resurrection a distant dream.
At this, I sighed again.
“I can’t answer your question right now, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
“That will be enough.” Olgamarie said with a nod.
With that bombshell out of the way, her expression immediately cleared. She evidently had the guts to be a future Lord. Obviously, though, I didn’t need to be shown that right now.
I finished my cup of suspicious-looking tea and left my seat.
What a troubling situation, I thought. The trouble was that I couldn’t be sure whether you were Heartless’ accomplice, Olgamarie.
Stepping out of the cafe, the light from the dome in the sky caused me to squint once again.
I only had half a day left. Considering that there was a limit to what tricks I could pull in a place like this, all I could do was wish my brother a safe journey and try and enjoy my time here.
“I don’t have the know-how to gather information in the Mining City, after all.” I muttered to myself, starting to feel tired.
Just as the words left my mouth, I heard another voice behind me.
“Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, yes?”
Damn it! How had I not felt anyone approach? If the person behind me wanted to assassinate me, there was no way I could escape. I didn’t have the time to call Trimmau to my side from the place where she was on standby not far away. It had been a while since I made mental preparations to die.
At a crucial time like this, I couldn’t believe that the only thought in my mind was Flat’s offer to protect me.
“Don’t worry, I’m not your enemy.” Came the raspy voice.
I could tell that he was doubtlessly experienced from the way he noticed my alarm. Unfortunately for him, I was experienced in dealing with experienced people.
I allowed myself to be lured into the alley, where I turned to meet the person who had called out to me.
“…And you are?” I said, just as the wrinkled, smiling face of the short old man came into my view.
“Geraff. Just an old man who isn’t even a spellcaster.”
——
[1] (to the situation with Rhongomyniad, probably)
[2] Isn’t calling them Icarus’ wings like calling a ship the Titanic II?