Ch.295Night infiltration, like an outlaw.

It was the middle of the night.

Having removed the iron bars and escaped from prison, we were approaching the coastal city beyond the barrier that Phyllis had discovered, keeping ourselves hidden in the darkness.

The sentries guarding the prison entrance were taking their rest in chairs, seemingly unconcerned with whatever might be happening inside. They passed their tedious hours chatting or whittling small pieces of wood into crafts.

I couldn’t understand why they even bothered posting sentries at all…

“Well, thanks to them, we can proudly break out and wander around the island, so that worked out well.”

“I’m a bit worried about leaving Sister Airi behind with the Ancestor…”

“We had no choice. The Third Eye tribe seems to be hesitating because their prophecy about the Dark Elf’s arrival didn’t come true. If we show ourselves unnecessarily and their attitude changes, it could be dangerous.”

“And there’s no guarantee that the gentleman has the only gun that fires those needles.”

As a precaution, I had given the Ancestor the order to “protect the Stone House by any means necessary.”

Anyone who tried to search our bags or take the Ancestor elsewhere would be in for a rough time.

“Seti, Phyllis, how’s the situation around us?”

“No sign of any Third Eye tribe members within visual range.”

“I don’t smell any humans or animals either. Seems everyone’s asleep at this hour.”

Since we couldn’t use lights during our night infiltration, Phyllis, who could see through darkness, took the lead, while Seti brought up the rear, monitoring our surroundings with her sense of smell and hearing.

But as we walked along the forest path where there was no trace of people—not even the cry of a seagull—with only the quiet, repetitive sound of waves, all our efforts to avoid detection seemed almost pointless.

“I hope we can smoothly enter the city and reach our destination without trouble.”

“That would be best.”

“Hmm… the question is what’s inside. Judging by the magical power leaking out strongly enough to be felt from a distance, there must be a powerful magic circle, artifact, or some kind of sorcery installed there.”

“I’m also concerned about a child entering such a building alone.”

Shun, who had effortlessly spotted Phyllis following him in secret, then calmly entered the building.

What secret lay behind his inexplicable behavior? Why had he shown such an unusual reaction to the simple question of “whether he could do things he wasn’t told to do”?

I felt both excited and anxious that this investigation might reveal some crucial secret.

“We’re almost there. Just about 20 meters more to the edge of the barrier.”

“Mina, what about the Magiascope?”

“Wait a moment. Let me see… Whoa, this is no joke!”

Mina, who had put on the Magiascope to examine what lay ahead, flinched in surprise and frowned.

Wondering if there was something harmful, I stopped and waited. Mina removed the scope, massaged between her eyes with her thumb, and clicked her tongue as if overwhelmed.

“There’s a circular wall of magical power about 1 kilometer in diameter. The barrier spell is just overlaid on top of that wall.”

“Is that impressive?”

“The structure itself is extremely simple and crude, but the fact that they made it possible is amazing. Normally, magical power can’t be confined in one place in a specific shape without a solid medium. But somehow they’ve maintained it thin and clean like a cookie cutter.”

The reactions to Mina’s explanation were divided into two types.

Seti and I, lacking prior knowledge of magic, simply nodded with expressions that said “I don’t understand but it sounds impressive,” while Jessica and Phyllis wore serious expressions and muttered something intensely.

“A technology that can manipulate pure magical power with such precision… if we could incorporate this into the Arcane Alter, even powerful spells like the one we used against the orcs wouldn’t put any strain on the gun…”

“The shape of the magical field probably isn’t limited to circles. Could we use this to transmit ley line magic power over long distances? Or perhaps lay roads with barrier spell effects…”

While I appreciated them listing specific applications in a way even a layman could understand, we couldn’t just stand there admiring the Third Eye tribe’s technology forever.

I gently tapped Jessica and Phyllis on the shoulders to remind them of our original purpose.

“Alright, alright. I understand that as magicians, you’re interested in new techniques, but let’s not forget why we came here.”

“…Right. I seem to have momentarily lost my senses after witnessing such shocking technology.”

“Honestly, I’m more interested in this than the Third Eye tribe’s secrets… but as Will says, we shouldn’t forget our original purpose. Yeah.”

Despite their words suggesting they had regained their composure, the two still stood motionless, reluctant to leave the barrier’s secrets behind.

If the technology was that remarkable, it was likely connected to the building emitting suspicious magical power. Perhaps investigating the place would yield some clues.

With that persuasion, we finally succeeded in getting Jessica and Phyllis to step inside the barrier.

*Whoosh*

“Oh. This feels familiar.”

“It’s similar to when we arrived at the elven sanctuary.”

The moment we passed through the barrier, the scenery before us completely changed, revealing the city’s night view.

As Phyllis had told us, the Third Eye tribe’s city hidden by the barrier was in no way inferior to the western pioneer towns.

The only disappointing aspect was that the streetlamps erected throughout the city served no purpose, and only the dim light from sparsely placed torch holders illuminated parts of the city.

If I had walked boldly through the center of this city in broad daylight, I might have been confused whether I was in the Third Eye tribe’s hideout or visiting the eighth western town under construction.

“…There doesn’t seem to be anyone walking the streets. Windows with lights on can be counted on one hand.”

“Not a single night guard even though the harbinger of disaster has invaded—these folks are truly carefree.”

“Let’s be careful and go around the lit houses, approaching slowly. Be careful not to touch anything left outside.”

“OK.”

Infiltrating the city interior was as easy as we had anticipated.

Using alleys rather than main streets was more than enough to hide in the darkness, and when we occasionally had to cross main streets, we chose routes without torch holders.

The only challenge was the slight back pain from moving slowly in a crouched position.

The building Shun had entered was located in the exact center of the city.

A T-shaped single-story building made of black stone.

Perhaps the opposite side we were looking at also protruded to form a + shape, but there was no need to circle the building to satisfy that curiosity.

“Now that we’re this close, the pressure of magical power flowing from the building feels even stronger.”

“Will it have any negative effects on our bodies? Wasn’t it high-concentration black magic?”

“Hmm~ It’s not black magic. More like residual magic altered by a specific spell? Those sensitive to magic like Phyllis might feel uncomfortable, but I don’t think it will have any particular effect on our bodies.”

Mina put on the Magiascope again to examine the building’s magic and concluded it was safe.

From what I could see, there were no other passages or windows besides the front entrance.

In that case, we would have to quickly enter the building, turn on the lights, and examine the interior.

“OK, let’s go. Maintain the current formation, and after Seti enters, close the door immediately and turn on the lantern.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll enter first!”

The time for sneaking around was over.

We approached the building at full speed, carefully opened the door to avoid making noise, and went inside.

There were no lights on inside the building, but once we closed the door and lit the lantern, we could immediately see the interior.

“What…!”

“Shh, don’t make loud noises.”

“…(nods)”

Seti quickly covered my mouth as I almost cried out.

The interior of the building illuminated by the lantern light was completely different from how it appeared from outside.

While from the outside it had seemed like a T-shaped or +-shaped building with the front protruding, the actual interior was a smooth dome.

However, the reason I almost shouted wasn’t because the building’s interior and exterior appearances differed.

As an adventurer who rides a transforming carriage, hides people in a Stone House, and even has a four-dimensional storage box, I wouldn’t be surprised by just that.

But it’s a different story when the inner walls are covered with countless masks, and a familiar child is trapped in a glass pillar. Especially when that glass pillar is inscribed with ominous arcane words.

{Remember. A thousand years of grudge, three hundred years of oblivion, and a hundred years of patience}

{Who was it that cast me down into the abyss when I sought only the dream of omnipotence?}

{Armedia, Deidric Asmad, and the abominable traitor whose name I cannot utter}

{With the fragments of the miracle they created as my cradle, I shall bide my time and dream of omnipotence once more}

{You—humanity with three eyes—remember and remember again that you were created solely for this purpose}

“Will, this is…”

“Ah, these arcane words are quite…”

Unlike the ones we had discovered before, these arcane words on the glass pillar were written with clear malicious intent.

I wasn’t sure if it was safe to read them aloud, but…

“…Still, since we’ve come this far, I have no choice but to read them.”

Leaving Shun trapped in the glass pillar would be equally unsettling.

Steeling my resolve, I took a deep breath and recited the arcane words on the glass pillar—

“!?!?”

The moment I finished, my consciousness merged with this space and gazed into a distant place.