episode_0081

They entered the cave in an incredibly ignorant way.

“ and… … .”

Dien opened his small mouth in admiration.

The inside of the cave was as massive as it looked from the outside.

furthermore.

“Even if you stay still, your mana is restored.”

It was just as Victor said.

A cave filled with refreshing energy.

Unlike before, when mana was taken away as it came.

Mana just built up on its own without me doing anything.

The interior was so bright that you could see right down to the innermost part.

It is because the darkness that had been covering my eyes has completely disappeared.

“That’s….”

A portal was open where the magic stone clearly was.

“Did your senior put it there?”

“Why would I do something like that?”

It’s not unreasonable to suspect Luke of being the owner of the portal.

Space magic.

Among them, the portal in particular is a magic created by Luke.

It’s a magic that even the academy professors are desperate to learn.

There’s no way it could have been created naturally.

“Then who created the portal over there?”

“We will find out from now on.”

Luke approached the portal cautiously.

In fact, the most embarrassed person in this situation was Luke.

There is no one who has taught spatial magic other than Elin.

Because I also confirmed that there is no similar magic on the continent.

I wonder if I accidentally created a portal when I came out of the cave.

I even started to think like that.

Of course, there was no way he would have accidentally cast such high-dimensional magic.

Luke’s expression became serious as he looked around the portal.

“This doesn’t look like it was made by humans.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Magic written in ancient runes.”

Modern runes are a set of characters agreed upon among magicians to be used when creating spells.

So, it can be used for scrolls and barriers.

What about the ancient runes then?

These are the characters used by pre-human creatures when using magic.

There are still conflicting opinions among scholars, so it is difficult to decipher it properly.

Of course, it was impossible for modern magicians to use it.

Even more so with high-dimensional magic like portals.

“That means… .”

“There are two possibilities:”

Luke extended his index finger.

“First, the ancient runes that had remained in the old cave were accidentally activated.”

“Does that make sense?”

yes.

I thought that was nonsense and stopped talking.

“Second, an ancient being that is still alive used magic.”

“… … ”

Everyone fell silent.

Not because it’s a reasonable guess.

That’s because the story was even more absurd than the former.

If it’s an ancient being, it’s either a demon that was once sealed or something.

It is the story of a demigod or dragon who disappeared from the continent.

“First of all, both stories are unlikely.”

Aurora, who came to her senses first, touched her lips.

“Could this be the work of those who follow the ancient beings?”

It might be more appropriate to think that way.

however.

“This is magic that humans cannot do at all.”

The spells used in the magic are incomprehensible.

The structure can be seen.

The principle by which a wizard casts magic is simple.

Use your mana to your advantage to manifest the desired phenomenon.

The attempt to formalize and organize that is theoretical magic.

A battle magician uses skills that are activated as quickly as possible.

Whatever the form, if it is human magic, it must show a structured structure.

however.

“This is not an order, it is a will.”

The portal in front of my eyes had no structure to begin with.

There is only a strong desire.

“First of all, it would be better not to touch it rashly.”

“I agree.”

Luke voices his opinion.

Let the saint support you.

“Then let’s go back quickly.”

“Then, is there perhaps an ancient being in the cave barrier… … .”

The group, feeling a sense of crisis, quickly escaped the cave.

If there really is an ancient being nearby.

Just a sigh from the side might make it crumble.

“… Maybe I should ask the Holy Land for support.”

It means that it is not strange for Aurora to be seriously worried.

“It’s not certain yet, so let’s look into it a little more… … .”

Finally, Luke was about to leave.

Woof-

I heard a strange sound.

There are also sounds coming from the cave.

It wasn’t even a sound to Luke.

“… … ”

Luke lowered his head absentmindedly.

I opened my mouth blankly.

In the middle of Elin’s chest while she was sleeping.

The area where the mana heart was was emitting bright light.

“Luke? What is that… .”

Before Aurora could ask, she felt something strange.

Shoooo-!

A strong wind swirled through the portal.

A portal that pulls strongly towards Elin, as if it wants her.

I couldn’t resist.

Squeak-

The soles of my shoes slide with an unpleasant noise.

Luke, who had reached the entrance to the barrier, was now right in front of the portal.

Hwaaak-

The goal of the swirling portal is clear.

Elin, radiating light from her mana heart.

But Luke wouldn’t let Elin go just like that.

Kwak-

I hugged her with all my might.

“Luke!!!”

Swish-

We ended up getting sucked into the portal together.

* * * * *

Despite being dragged hard, the fall wasn’t painful.

All that happened was that my vision shook and the scenery in the cave changed.

“Seo, teacher… It hurts… .”

“…! Sorry.”

I must have woken up from the hugging so tightly.

Luke released all the strength he had in his arms.

“Hoo… Hoo… .”

Elin looked around, catching her breath.

“Where is this?”

The interior that was sucked in was extremely dark.

Just like the cave before the magic stone was used.

But it didn’t seem like there was any bad vibes flowing now.

“Well, maybe inside a cave… .”

Luke raised his head without confidence.

It should be dark, as it is a cave that does not let in even a single ounce of light.

The ceiling was sparkling like the Milky Way.

Looking closely, I saw that they were all magic stones filled with mana.

The stars shone brightly in the sky.

It wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the field of vision.

Exactly.

He snapped his fingers and unleashed his spatial awareness magic.

There was so much mana overflowing around that it was difficult to control it.

Shu… .

Mana flows around.

It feels like a huge interior.

It was a cave similar in size to the one before being sucked into the portal.

At this size, it wouldn’t be strange if a dragon came in and lived there…

“… … !”

“Why?”

“Shh. Hold your breath.”

Something strange happened in the middle.

An object that fills a corner of a cave.

The massive mana actually pushed away Luke’s magic.

I felt my pulse pounding.

… Yes. In fact, it wasn’t an inanimate object since I could feel its pulse.

It’s dangerous.

The identity of the creature is not important.

With such overwhelming size and ocean-like mana, he could have crushed Luke just by yawning.

Mana’s path was changed.

I looked around to see if there was another exit.

It was a completely sealed space with no gaps whatsoever.

Then I tried to open a portal.

“… … ”

It was difficult to maintain the shape because of the mana that filled the surroundings.

Originally, magic was problematic even if it lacked mana.

Too much of anything can cause problems.

If you ride this kind of unstable portal, you’ll end up lost in a dimension.

“Sigh… .”

In the end, all you can do is approach the unknown.

Ellen, who noticed the meaning of the sigh, held Luke’s collar tightly.

“… Teacher.”

“It’s okay, Princess. I will never let you be in danger.”

I can’t guarantee that.

Of course, this situation doesn’t appear in the game.

Because I’ve never heard of it even at the academy.

I thought that was fortunate.

I told him every day that I was okay.

Even in this situation, I was able to make a face that seemed like everything was really okay.

Luke took a deep breath.

I slowly walked towards the unknown being.

Thud thud.

As befitting a large cave, the sound of footsteps echoes far and wide.

Shh …

As I get closer, I feel the breath of an unknown being.

How big is the size difference?

It felt like a fan.

Exactly.

He cast a faint light magic that allowed him to see right in front of him.

“… … ”

“… … ”

Elin and Luke were speechless.

“Teacher. This… … .”

“Perhaps your majesty’s thoughts are correct.”

Purple skin lined with smooth scales.

Wings that are folded neatly, but would certainly double in size if unfolded.

The immense mana felt in the breath he exhaled.

“… Dragon?”

An ancient being that disappeared from the continent.

The dragon was sleeping in front.

* * * * *

Luke was seriously worried.

There is no way out of here.

However, it would be crazy to wake up an ancient being that is sleeping.

If you touch me for no reason and try to eat Elin and Luke… … .

“Why are you just watching?”

“!”

I was so surprised that I immediately hid Elin behind me.

Even so, we can eat it all in one bite.

It was an instinctive movement.

“He asked me why I was just watching.”

“I didn’t want to disturb your sleep.”

Clearly, he was sleeping until just a moment ago.

I just woke up without realizing it and sensed Luke.

Woof-

I tried to gather my overflowing mana and create a barrier.

Although it was relatively less difficult than maintaining a portal.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

When I heard the dragon’s voice, my head felt cold as if I had been doused with cold water.

“Do you think you can stop this body with mere human magic?”

“It seems impossible.”

Convinced, Luke took away the barrier.

But then the dragon was embarrassed.

《Does that mean we give up defense right away?》

“I’m not giving up on defense. I’m trying to have a conversation.”

Even if we could stop it in the first place, what would happen next?

Luke is not a dragon slayer.

There’s no way you can defeat a dragon that uses ancient magic.

Luckily, the dragon didn’t drool at the sight of Luke and Elin.

It’s a voice that gives you goosebumps just by listening to it.

First of all, there seemed to be no hostile intentions, so I tried to have a conversation.

《Wow… He’s not that stupid.》

Luckily, Luke seemed to like the answer.

The dragon laughed softly.

“How did you get here?”

“You’ve been sucked into the portal.”

《… You opened a portal?》

The dragon’s eyes flashed.

There was surprise in her blue eyes that seemed to contain a lake.

“… sigh.”

Just meeting your gaze took my breath away.

I barely managed to use my mana to push away the pressure.

“I didn’t mean to open it. It suddenly appeared when I purified the magic stone inside the cave.”

《Purification? That probably won’t work.》

“I received help from the saint.”

《A saint. I guess that might be possible.》

I quickly opened my mouth because he seemed to be looking this way with interest.

“Do you know how to get out of here?”

“I can’t, but I know a way for you guys to get out.”

“Then can you tell me?”

“Yes. I can tell you.”

“Please tell me how to get out.”

“I said I could tell you, I never said I would tell you.”

Are you playing with words?

It looks like you’ve been alone in the cave for a long time.

I thought maybe he was lonely.

《…Why are you looking at me with such pitiful eyes when I was just joking?》

“Nothing.”

《If you thought I was lonely, you were mistaken. I just woke up from a long sleep.》

It seems like you really needed someone to talk to, since you’re explaining things I’ve never even asked about.

《Hmm… It seems like you’re not really interested in my story.》

“No. I’m dying of curiosity. How on earth did you get here?”

“Lying with spit in your mouth.”

“Eww,” the dragon clicked his tongue and raised the corners of his mouth as if a good idea had come to him.

Of course, it was a very terrifying sight to humans.

“Let me tell you a funny story.”

“Are you ready to hold on to your belly button so it doesn’t run away?”

“The one behind him is Berthain’s little boy.”

“… … ”

But I was ready to roll around on the floor at any joke if they just let me.

This was such an unexpected situation.

I bet you never told me anything.

How did you figure out Elin’s identity?

My facial muscles became stiff because I couldn’t control my facial expressions.

The dragon chuckled as if it had been hoping for this reaction.

I think it’s clear that I felt lonely because I was alone.

“Is there any mind-poisoning magic in ancient magic?”

《There’s no way something like that could exist… Ah, if it’s black magic, then it could exist.》

I didn’t expect it at all.

That’s why it’s a real magic.

anyway.

“Then how did you find out?”

“How did you know?”

The dragon snorted as if asking something so obvious.

“How could I not recognize the lineage of those who have so viciously taken my strength?”

The words coming out of the dragon’s mouth were difficult to understand.

《This is a secret, but I will tell you specifically. This body is Bertain, the dragon of desire that was sealed 500 years ago.》

“… … !?”

It was enough to shock me.