Chapter 299

Chapter 299. Spotlight (1)

‘I wasn’t dreaming, was I…?’

Lifting his head from his descent over the courtyard of the Chedaltman Castle, Ahel pinched his own cheek. The sharp sting spreading from his skin was unmistakable, a vivid reminder of reality.

His cheek flushed red almost instantly from the intensity of the pinch, leaving no doubt it wasn’t a mere dream. Still harboring a sliver of doubt, he slapped his cheek again with a sharp “smack”.

“Ahh…”

Whether it was from the force of the slap or the resulting ringing in his head, Ahel winced.

‘This really isn’t a dream,’ he finally acknowledged, a sense of reality returning to him as he refocused on his surroundings.

Outsiders, now stripped of their once-defining symbols, clamored alongside the holy knights from Palao and Temoria.

They rallied the refugees, vanishing into the hole that appeared in the courtyard under their guidance. Although there were quite a few people in movement, there was a certain order despite the chaos.

“No, why must I go in there!”

Regrettably, not everyone adhered to the order. One person, trembling, suddenly stepped back and shouted in rebellion. His uncertainty about what lay beyond the hole had stopped him from advancing.

“You’re trying to kill us, aren’t you?!” he accused.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, this disruption quickly became a fleeting incident. An outsider hastily subdued the one causing the commotion, knocking him unconscious and throwing him into the hole.

‘Well, that’s efficient,’ Ahel considered. Physical force was a powerful, perhaps the most efficient means of controlling a multitude by a small empowered group over the powerless majority.

Detailed explanations and seeking consent from everyone was impractical, hence the use of forceful methods. With no understanding of Mana, resisting wasn’t an option, so they had no choice but to obey.

Though not a humanitarian approach, its efficacy was undeniable. Understanding the situation, Ahel slowly descended towards the courtyard using levitation magic. Seeing this, an outsider guarding the hole shouted up at him.

“Hey, mage! Get down here, or we’ll shoot you down!”

Not seeking confrontation, Ahel decided to come down quietly. After touching the ground, a voice exclaimed.

“Huh? That’s the mage who used to be with K…”

Recognizing an opportunity, Ahel nodded with enthusiasm.

“Yes! I used to accompany Mr. K!”

The outsider, previously threatening to shoot Ahel down, flinched upon hearing K’s name. Fortunately finding a simple way through the situation, Ahel pointed towards the hole with a smile.

“Mr. K said he was busy and told me to wait nearby.”

“But I haven’t received any such communication…”

“Uh, I can’t post it because I’m not part of the Order… Is there anyone from Palao’s affiliation here? Could you please confirm it through a comment? I can’t distinguish anymore due to the lack of symbols.”

If they actually did this, things could get serious. If done wrong, K would rush over with a grim expression and scrutinize every inch of me, demanding what I was up to. Even knowing this, I deliberately mentioned K as an excuse for a simple reason.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s the sort to take such actions lightly.’

Judging by how he wavered the moment K’s name was mentioned, he was quite sensitive to authority. He pondered over whether he might face repercussions if he went through the cumbersome verification process.

“Don’t cause any disruptions while you’re here,” the man finally instructed, opting for the easier path.

Though not a correct decision, it worked in Ahel’s favor, given if he had been conspiring with the enemies, the man would have allowed an enemy close to the retreat route. But Ahel wasn’t about to critique what worked in his favor.

“Don’t worry! I’m a good mage who even wears restraints properly.”

Instead of causing disturbances, he stood back slightly from the hole with a pleasant expression. Then, like an idle person with no tasks left, he searched his surroundings for a long time until attention on him faded.

Once it seemed nobody was watching him, Ahel began to intently observe the hole.

‘Just because things went smoothly doesn’t mean there’s room for relief,’ he mused.

No telling when he might be discarded again. Even if the area beyond the gate truly belonged to the Outsiders, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t fall into ruin. When a chance arose, observing and researching this gate continuously was vital.

Ahel had continued researching even before the previous gate disappeared. The countless failures he faced, aside from a few unexpected discoveries, encouraged tenacity.

‘It’s surely better than doing absolutely nothing.’

The longing for life can make many things possible. Ahel’s accidental discoveries were one of those instances. Although he hadn’t achieved dimensional travel magic, his findings on practical spatial magic were noteworthy.

These tiny victories drove him to persist in his research.

With a fervor befitting a mage, Ahel immersed himself in examining the hole. From a distance, it appeared as a simple open hole, but up close, it was the same form from every direction, akin to a perfect sphere.

When a person entered from the front, no change in form was noted from behind.

The appearance in itself wasn’t the most crucial aspect. The functions of this sphere-like hole lay at the core of Ahel’s curiosity. He speculated the process might involve swallowing and expelling within spatial compressions as seen in other movement magics.

Intrigued by the possibilities, Ahel inserted his hand into the hole. Contrary to expectation, he felt no pull like in teleportation magics.

‘No pressure differences here?’

Ahel then boldly stepped into the space beyond. His eyes were captured by an endless white expanse focused around a massive tunnel.

‘It’s not compression; it’s a whole new space,’ he thought, astounded. By creating this minimal movement space that connected with the previous small hole, it echoed more like the mechanics of subspace magic than movement magic.

Although he encountered some friction with the Outsiders coordinating the refugees, Ahel managed to squirm his way around using his recognition and progressively continued his research. The fact that the Order’s communications couldn’t be accessed from the white space greatly aided this.

Never wasting time, Ahel, driven by his mage’s focus, continued to observe the hole and the tunnel for hours after most refugees had already departed.

“What are you doing?”

A considerable amount of time had passed before Rashar, who roamed to check for any remaining individuals, arrived.

“Ah,” said Ahel, caught fiddling with the white tunnel wall, spinning around at the familiar voice. He met the eyes of Rashar, who stared fixedly with a hardened expression before she dragged him off with a firm grip.

“Rashar?” he questioned amidst his surprise.

“Priest Jordan, you should go ahead. I will follow shortly.”

“… Yes, understood,” replied the priest who entered with the holy knights, leaving the area as Rashar continued to scrutinize Ahel fiercely.

“I gave the order for mages to evacuate, didn’t I?”

“Yes, well, I heard it, so I got here…?”

Though, of course, those mages had already evacuated while he lingered back to seize his chance.

“Why didn’t you evacuate and instead loiter around here?”

As Ahel fidgeted with his eyes, darting away from her gaze, Rashar ground her teeth.

“No funny business. Not even in your dreams.”

She looked inexplicably almost fearful, prompting Ahel to remain silent.

“From now on, we will become guests and stand as strangers.”

Feeding millions of people without any means of subsistence wouldn’t be easy. Nevertheless, the Outsiders returned to evacuate everyone. Likely, opinions in their world would split sharply.

‘This time, they prioritized rescue efforts near the front line.’

An organization affiliated Outsider mentioned a plan to gradually rescue those further back in the fortresses over time. It meant that more refugees who couldn’t sustain themselves would linger in the Outsiders’ world.

“Many won’t find us likable. No disturbances or controversy. Understand?”

Most Biharin were civilians who couldn’t hope to fight monsters. Though the Outsiders brought combat power, the Biharin were primarily defenseless.

‘Why bother saying it so seriously that we’ll live under their mercy?’

Feigning understanding, Ahel nodded again.

“Yeah, I know well.”

“Your understanding is never…!”

“What? Is someone there? Isn’t that the entrance to Chedaltman?”

“It seems to be.”

Interjecting, outsiders arriving through the gate connected from the Kimol entrance noticed the two standing at the Chedaltman entrance.

“Those over there! It’s time to go now!”

The instant Rashar continued berating Ahel, the Outsiders shouted at them to leave.

“Got it!”

Rashar responded urgently while forcefully dragging Ahel along. Resigned to being pulled, Ahel followed willingly, acknowledging that it might be time. Seeing no crowd filling the white space supported this.

As Rashar led him through the white tunnel, Ahel just watched around without resistance. Suddenly, he shuddered, sensing a shadow approaching from behind, which even the normally hypersensitive Rashar didn’t notice.

Losing that sensitivity showed her complete emotional instability. Despite being aware, Ahel didn’t alert Rashar about the shadow nearing.

“Hold up,” spoke a voice that marked its presence by gently grasping Rashar’s arm.

“Oh?” she said, startled. Golden eyes belonging to K glanced down. His gaze lingered on Ahel’s wrist which Rashar had grasped and left him curious.

‘Hm…?’

Realizing K was asserting his presence, Ahel carefully extricated his wrist as K’s eyes softened slightly.

‘Oh, interesting?’

Could there be room to negotiate with this disgustingly skilled expert who possesses such blessings? Just as this hopeful thought rose, K gently drew Rashar.

“You’re this way.”

“U-Uh…”

“Ahel, follow along.”

“Yes.”

Feigning innocence, Ahel trailed behind K and Rashar. As they headed towards the designated hole, “You can’t enter here!”

“What are you doing?! Pull them out now!” was heard in chorus along with several flashes.

“Damn,” grumbled K quietly. The unexpected nature of the situation suggested it wasn’t what he anticipated. Startled, Ahel observed quickly, noting how there was no mana sensing in the air.

Yet before he could act, K turned back with his golden eyes, warning against any spontaneous spellcasting.

In Ahel’s stead, those who asserted themselves came forward.

“Mr. K! Just one word about the rescue operation, please!”

They were reporters who had crossed the restricted entry area as they pleased.

Damned System