episode_0125

What is travel?

Go out to an unfamiliar place and enjoy the scenery.

Isn’t taking a break and eating local food a trip?

In that sense, Aurora was enjoying her trip to the fullest.

“I didn’t know there was such a dish in the world.”

I devour the southern course meal as soon as it comes out.

At this point, I wonder if I was starving in the Holy Land.

“You always have to be moderate, so do you hear any news from the Holy Land?”

When I heard it, it was true.

Elin, on the other hand, just groaned as if she had no appetite.

“Is there anything good for men here… .”

“… … After eating, how about going to a street that is a must-see for any trip to the South?”

Luke jumped to his feet.

It’s not that Ellen makes creepy noises.

I was just about to wake up.

“What about the teacher?”

“I have somewhere to go for a bit, so I’ll join you right away.”

Luke walks out of the restaurant.

I opened the portal right away.

The destination is the north.

I cast a warming spell on my body and crossed the portal.

“Oh.”

The place we arrived was Luke’s tower site.

The exterior was already complete.

“It’ll take a while for the magic circle to take effect.”

All that’s left is to bring in the furniture.

Just wait until the magic circle is fully applied.

Luke approached the tower and injected mana into it.

Woof-

The magic tower that sways and disappears.

The stealth magic made the tower transparent.

Now the snow has piled up so the outline is visible.

After all the magic is applied, it will look just like magic.

He says he will hand over the tower to Lanian, but that is after Luke disappears.

Until then, hide the magic tower.

The plan was to move the entire tower to another place so that no one could find it.

I walked with the thought that if I got caught I would be locked up right away.

The destination is the cave where Bertain is sealed.

“Are you there?”

I passed through the barrier and headed straight to the innermost part.

Ssaeak-! Ssaeak-!

A breath so powerful that it pushes the body away.

It seemed like Luke had fallen asleep again after a while of stopping by.

Well, I guess I’d go crazy if I didn’t sleep in a cave with nothing in it.

Luke stood before Berthain with a barrier wrapped around his body.

It was to survive if he ever revealed it to Luke in his sleep.

“Mr. Bertine. Are you sleeping?”

Silence.

The heavy breathing continued.

“Mr. Bertine?”

If an outsider came into the cave, there’s no way they wouldn’t know.

Knock knock.

He tapped Bertain’s steely nose.

Of course, I put two more layers of barriers around my body.

《Krrrr…》

“Oh, are you awake?”

“Why did you come here again… … .”

Bertain raised his eyelids in annoyance.

As Luke had expected, Berthain had just woken up.

It was just that I had just woken up and was feeling sensitive.

《It can’t have been two years already.》

“Yes, it hasn’t even been two months yet.”

《…Why did you really come here?》

Flash.

Berthain opened his eyes completely.

Didn’t they say before that you say hello before you die?

There’s no way the young sage would have come looking for the dragon because he was bored.

《Did you run away after rejecting the kid’s confession?》

“That’s a reasonable guess, but it’s not.”

If that was the case, Luke should have started living in the Bertain Cave long ago.

It’s been a long time since I rejected Elin’s heart.

Because I’ve been trying to push it away until now.

“You bad guy… So what happened?”

“I have a question.”

《It seems that it cannot be solved with human wisdom… So, what is it that is causing this?》

“… Are you just going to answer?”

Luke was confused.

I even surrounded it with 8 layers of barriers.

It’s because I tried to help too obediently.

“I’m going to send you out quickly and go back to sleep. Why? If you don’t answer, won’t you not go out? ”

“How could I do something so rude?”

《Or maybe he was trying to find another ancient being.》

“… … ”

Luke tilted his head.

Am I too easy to understand?

This is only my third time meeting Bertain.

“I can’t let you use the title I gave you so carelessly. So, have you seen any ancient runes?”

“How did you know?”

“If not, why would you come to me?”

“That’s right.”

If the ancient runes were something Luke could read, he wouldn’t have come all the way here.

Luke drew the same ancient runes he had seen in Nordagen and Deneb.

“This isn’t a rune.”

The answer I got back was unexpected.

《You might mistake it for a rune, but… there is no such letter.》

“But the southern creatures saw the letters and had a seizure. It didn’t seem like just any graffiti.”

“It definitely feels uneasy.”

I might have just passed it off as nothing serious.

If only they hadn’t said that southern animals were having strange reactions.

“Do you have a map of the empire?”

“No. Why is that?”

《I think I need to see where that letter was drawn. … What are you doing now?》

“Drawing a map.”

“……what?”

“Didn’t you say you needed it?”

Luke drew a map in the air with mana.

Since ancient times, in order to use a portal, you must be familiar with the terrain.

It’s not that Luke forgets to carry a map.

It’s just that it’s already all in your head so there’s no need for it.

《What kind of guy is this… No, a wise man should do this much.》

When Bertain was admiring.

The map of the empire was drawn perfectly.

“The characters were here and here.”

The letters that were there were drawn where the West and the South were.

《Connect the two points with a line.》

“Is this what you mean?”

“…aha.”

Bertain looked at the connected lines with a serious expression.

《Do you have any plans to go to the East or the North?》

“There is no North, but I plan to go to the East in two days.”

“Yeah, check to see if there’s that sign in the East too.”

Mark? It seemed to be referring to a character based on the circumstances.

“I’m not sure yet, but… it seems like that’s the spell he used.”

* * * * *

I don’t know what that guy is though.

First of all, it was clear that Bertain was an extraordinary being.

《Correction. This is a rune. It’s just a little distorted.》

“… transformation?”

“That’s not the magic that dragons use.”

Bertain looked closely at the map Luke had drawn.

“If you find a sign like this in the East, it’s certain that that guy was using that spell.”

A pattern appears on the map as you blink your eyes a few times.

As expected, Luke was unable to read the text.

“If it’s not another dragon, maybe… .”

There are two types of ancient beings that are widely known.

A dragon that used the original magic.

Or maybe they are demons invading the continent from another dimension.

“It’s true that this is a technique originally used by devil children, but the guy who drew this doesn’t seem to be a devil.”

Fortunately, he is not a devil.

Well, there’s no way there are still demons left on the continent.

《I think it might be the work of the followers… but I don’t know for sure. It’s been so long since I’ve been out.》

Berthain closed his eyes tightly.

《If that’s the answer, then just go ahead and check if there’s a sign in the east.》

“Yes, but if it’s the work of devil followers, then there’s no problem, right?”

Seeing him come out so peacefully, I wondered if it was okay.

《Yes. If they are separate, they have no effect.》

“Are you saying it’s different when we gather?”

《If connected and become a magic circle, the demon will be resurrected.》

“Yes?”

… Then isn’t there a problem?

《That’s what I said, but honestly, the possibility is pretty much nil. It’s not even certain if there are any markings in the east or north.》

“What if it exists?”

《Even if there were, there wouldn’t be enough mana to connect them. Is the continent a bit large?》

Seeing him so peaceful makes me feel uneasy.

After finishing my tour of the Aurora Empire, I guess I’ll have to explore the North as well.

“First of all, thank you.”

“first?”

“If you find the sign, you should come back, right?”

《Umm… yeah, well.》

Bertain, who thought this would be the last time, slightly raised his eyelids.

《If you come next time, bring a magic stone. Do you know how much mana you have to expend when you come in?》

The cave was only open to those who had made a contract, like Luke.

The problem is that Bertain’s mana is consumed even when sending in a contractor.

That was also the reason why Bertain wanted to send Luke out quickly.

“Next time, I will definitely bring good quality mana.”

Luke bowed and left the cave.

“Tsk, I guess I’m going to get attached to this. It’s annoying.”

Bertain mutters as he looks at the entrance through which Luke left.

This time, instead of trying to sleep.

I waited for the young sage who might come at any time.

If there were no signs in the East, you might not come looking for it… .

Because I had a feeling I’d be back soon.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve been alone for hundreds of years.

It could be that I’ve really fallen for it.

* * * * *

Luke returns to the South.

The group was walking along a trail that gave them a close view of the southern ecosystem.

Ellen clung to Luke as soon as he appeared.

“Where have you been?”

“I know someone… Well, I came to see someone I know.”

Bertain is not human.

After correcting his words, he examined Elin carefully.

“Are you okay?”

“Exactly? Oh, I just saw a giant squirrel beat up a snake.”

The South, where all living things grow thanks to the abundance of magical power.

Because of this, the ecosystem was also a place that could not be considered rationally.

This means that it is not unusual for a squirrel to bite a snake on a walking trail.

“That must have been a strange scene.”

Honestly, I’d like to see that.

That was when I thought.

“Luke.”

Kirik.

Aurora, who came over in a wheelchair, tapped Luke.

The childlike excitement about the trip was nowhere to be found.

“Why are you like that?”

Luke lowered his voice at the serious look on his face.

“Can’t you feel it now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“… I guess I’m the only one who feels this way.”

Aurora muttered and winked.

“I’m being followed.”

“… … ?”

Luke spread his mana wide and surveyed the surrounding space.

“… !”

Then, a very faint and peculiar mana appears.

There are a total of 4 people.

It was too dense to be called an ordinary person.

Aurora’s sense of aura seems to have become sharper due to the influence of the South and her immense divine power.

“Are you stalking the saint?”

“Haa… I don’t know. I came here to rest, but why am I getting involved with something weird… .”

Aurora, who had been pretending to cry, rolled the wheel and went ahead.

“First of all, I think it would be better to guide the southern citizens separately so that they do not suffer any damage.”

“Let’s do that.”

The saint has not officially visited the South.

If possible, it would be better to handle this quietly.

Fortunately, if there are four people, Zero and Elin alone are enough to subdue them.

I wonder if they knew that Aurora was coming to the South and were waiting for it.

I don’t know if they chased me all the way to the south.

You’ll know when you see my face.

“Oh my, look at that, Luke. There’s a monkey jumping rope with a snake.”

“… It seems that every single southern creature could be studied without exception.”

Aurora and Luke pretended not to know anything and lured the pursuers to a remote location.