Chapter 139: Underwater ruins (5)

That evening, after discussing things with Bluemet, Berssen departed the island aboard the sailing ship, accompanied by the captain and several crew members.

I had expected that, at most, a few additional mages would arrive for a more detailed investigation. However, what greeted me the next morning far exceeded my expectations.

Berssen returned aboard a massive airship—with dozens of mages.

While airships typically flew through the sky, they could function like ordinary ships as well. Once the flying vessel landed gracefully on the blue sea and anchored near the island, dozens of mages poured out.

Among them were several familiar faces. Rain, a fellow member of the Tower of Dawn like me, and Haven, among others. I also recognized a few who had crossed paths with me at the Mage Tower.

After disembarking, Haven gave me a slight nod before heading over to Bluemet, the person responsible for the ruin investigation. Berssen followed closely beside him.

At that moment, Rain approached me while I was eating breakfast with Su and Shu.

“You’re having breakfast?”

“Ah, good morning, Rain.”

“Don’t mind me—go ahead and eat.”

Rain smiled casually and sat across from me. Su and Shu glanced around blankly at the sudden appearance of so many mages.

Setting down my bowl of soup, I spoke to Rain.

“Um, Rain. If I may ask, did you come here because…”

“There’s supposedly a magical civilization here, right? We came to investigate.”

“But isn’t this… too many people? I thought maybe just one or two more mages would show up.”

“Under normal circumstances, sure. But this many came because of Lord Haven.”

“Haven did?”

“So here’s what happened…”

According to Rain, the reason so many mages had arrived on the airship was because of Haven. He was about to board the airship headed for Janghon, the land of beastkin, when he decided to wrap up all his pending matters.

At dawn, he began reviewing all the reports that had come in—among them was Berssen’s report. Upon seeing my name in the document, Haven had the airship turn around and redirect its course to this island.

“He can really do that…? And the other mages didn’t object?”

“Of course there was some pushback at first. But once Haven showed them the report, everyone went quiet. I think they were intrigued by the idea of a magical civilization born outside the Mage Tower.”

“So being a sub-tower master really is a big deal…”

“What did you think it meant up until now…?”

“I just thought it was…”

“Just what?”

“Hmm. I’m not really sure.”

Come to think of it, I had never given much thought to how significant the position of sub-tower master was. I’d just assumed it meant he was someone with a fairly high rank.

“These are my friends—Su and Shu.”

At my introduction, the children gave small, polite bows. Rain beamed at them.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rain.”

They likely recognized Rain from my stories—he was the one who helped me awaken to mana and introduced me to the discipline of magic.

Su and Shu nodded belatedly in recognition.

At that moment, Haven approached, his mage robe fluttering behind him. Judging from the gentle smile on his lips, his conversation with Bluemet must have gone well. As he drew closer, he greeted me.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hello. Quite the grand entrance.”

“If your name hadn’t been in the report, I wouldn’t have bothered. So—how was your visit home?”

I was used to the misunderstanding by now. Smiling faintly, I nodded.

“Not bad, I suppose.”

“Those unfamiliar swords at your waist… I take it you acquired them during that trip?”

His gaze lingered on the two swords hanging at my side. The shape etched in Haven’s eyes rotated slowly, radiating a strange aura of mana.

After staring at the swords for a moment, Haven turned his eyes to Su and Shu. His slight gesture seemed to ask for an introduction.

“They’re my friends. Their names are Su and Shu.”

The children bowed politely once again. Having heard my stories, they likely recognized who Haven was.

“Hmm…”

Haven looked back and forth between the two children before leaning in and whispering to me quietly.

“Did you… teach them magic?”

Apparently, Haven’s eyes had picked up on the traces of mana pathways—the foundations of inner cultivation—within Su and Shu. While not entirely inaccurate, what the two had learned was slightly different from the magic of the Mage Tower.

Mages as a group are highly cautious about leaking magical knowledge. As I pondered how best to explain, I suddenly recalled Haven’s continued misconception about my origins.

“I taught them my family’s cultivation method.”

“Ah, that Dragon Light Clan something-or-other…?”

As I expected, Haven seemed to recognize what cultivation techniques were. He clicked his tongue softly and looked at the children with a hint of disappointment.

“Well, we can talk more about that later. For now, let’s focus on confirming those ruins beneath the sea…”

With that, Haven turned and headed toward the group of mages awaiting him. Rain, Su, Shu, and I followed.

Having received full authority from Bluemet, Haven began leading the exploration alongside dozens of mages.

As they all began channeling mana at once, the atmosphere trembled. The massive flow of mana stirred a chain of marvels.

The blue ocean split down the middle, forming a straight path. A coral reef shimmered in iridescent colors, and a cliff emerged from the water below.

Then, Haven stepped forward. As soon as his foot touched the shallow seawater, the split ocean instantly froze.

Crack—!

“A path is ready. Let’s move.”

With Haven at the lead, dozens of mages followed him naturally. Passing through the colorful coral, we reached the edge of the cliff—where another magical wonder awaited.

Haven gestured with his hand. Mana coalesced around him, forming a staircase of blue light. Hundreds of steps stretched down the cliffside.

“This is magic…?”

“Emily, can you do that too?”

I rested my hands on my hips and nodded confidently. A spell of that level? I could easily replicate it on my own.

At that moment, Haven looked back at Su and Shu and spoke.

“Looks like you’re both interested in magic. How about joining the Mage Tower?”

“Ah, no thank you. Right, Su?”

“Yeah. Mages aren’t free. Emily told us that.”

Their response made me smile inwardly. All those stories I’d shared—emphasizing the negatives of the Mage Tower—had paid off.

Haven clicked his tongue in regret and turned away. You couldn’t lock away bright kids like them in the confines of the Mage Tower.

I casually slipped between my friends and Haven.

The ruins at the bottom of the magical staircase still emitted a radiant light. The magic circle I had activated earlier was still functioning.

“Whoa…”

“Incredible…”

“Never seen architecture like this before. I’m glad I gave up on that trip to Janghon.”

“Strange method of cutting the mana stones… usually it’s done like this…”

The mages who arrived at the ruins murmured in amazement as they looked around. Some took out notebooks and began sketching the surroundings, while others pulled thick dictionaries from their bags to try and decipher the faded glyphs etched into the building’s outer walls.

Haven kept moving. As we followed him deeper into the ruins, we came upon a tightly sealed door.

“Hmm…”

Haven examined the massive stone door with a hum. When he reached out and touched it, the carvings on it lit up with a soft blue glow.

“It’s sealed with magic…”

Was the lock spell unbreakable? Haven frowned and stepped back. A few mages offered to give it a try—but the stone door remained firmly shut.

While everyone struggled in vain, I stepped forward. I could hear Su and Shu whisper behind me.

“Emily’s stepping up…”

“She’s going to try opening it herself…”

I couldn’t afford to fail with my friends watching. Like the others, I channeled mana toward the door.

Blue mana began flowing in a steady stream, tracing intricate paths. Hidden behind the complexity lay the solution to the sealing spell.

I furrowed my brow. With enough time, I could definitely undo it. But… was that really necessary?

Sometimes, things closer than magic do the job better. I slipped my fingers between the cracks of the stone wall and applied force.

Rrrrumble!

I redirected the mana I had been using to break the seal into physical enhancement. The mark of the Great Warrior on the back of my hand activated—and the sealed stone door shattered with a thunderous crack.

“Emily opened the door with magic…!”

“That’s magic…!”

Murmurs spread among the mages. I dusted off my hands and looked back.

“The door’s open. Let’s go in.”

“W-Whoa…”

Despite my words, the mages hesitated to move. It seemed they were wary of the rubble still lodged in the doorway.

I rolled up my sleeves and began clearing the entrance myself. I kicked aside the chunks of stone that no longer served as a door and smashed off protrusions that could bump someone’s head.

Only once the entrance was clean and safe did Haven and the other mages finally begin to move.