episode_0096

000

In the conference room for the heads of the departments in the Tower of Ayon, the heads of each department gathered around the round table today, each sharing their stories.

However, the reason why there are fewer students gathered than before is probably because the issue with the Execution Department, which was a common enemy, has been somewhat resolved.

Nevertheless, Layla of the Magic Department, and the heads of the Theology and Political Science Departments would invariably gather at the meeting to continue discussing how to restore the damaged areas of the academy and which department to commission for the work.

However, today’s meeting room was heavier and filled with a more hostile atmosphere than usual.

The cause, of course, was Layla Flamewatch.

In the end, Sasha, who followed the man from the Execution Department that day and disappeared, did not return home even after a full day.

Kuon received the story from Layla and, apparently quite shocked, staggered back to her room and hasn’t come out.

Yesterday’s fight seems to have already spread among the students, and the stories of the witnesses have been conveyed to the other heads.

“You can explain what happened properly, right? Layla Flamewatch.”

Quietly snapping at Layla, who is constantly troubled with her hand raised to her forehead, is a noble male who is the head of the Political Science Department.

“… …”

“It’s about the man who fought with the automata deployed for maintaining public order being the head of the Execution Department, and the fact that Sanasia, the woman you brought from outside, followed him.”

Silently adding to the sentence directed at Layla, who remained silent, he doesn’t lose the sharpness in his eyes.

“Isn’t there a possibility that she was a member of the Execution Department from the beginning?”

As the Theology Department continued to speak, Layla waved her hand as if she was a little annoyed and shook her head.

“That can’t be. If that were the case, I would have been stabbed to death in my sleep already. It’s not rational for her to suddenly show such behavior now.”

The female head of the Theology Department seemed to understand Layla’s words, but the Political Science student still did not stop looking at Layla with reproachful eyes.

“With your skills, you could have used flight magic to chase after them even if you were temporarily restrained on the spot. Why didn’t you?”

“…That’s…”

Layla couldn’t answer that question properly.

Sasha’s words. When she heard that the man was an important person to them, Layla felt a sensation as if her heart was pounding heavily.

As if something engraved on her body was responding to that word, to the vibration of her soul, Layla’s mind was sounding an alarm.

But no matter how hard she tried to remember, nothing came to mind, and Layla was feeling a severe headache due to frustration with the current situation and stress from Sasha’s sudden runaway, and she just wanted the man in front of her to shut up.

“Even for Layla, if a colleague betrays her in front of her eyes, she would be in a state of panic, I suppose.”

As if defending Layla, or teasing her. The head of the Magical Engineering Department speaks in an ambiguous manner.

“Humph…”

The Political Science student, seeing the words of the Magical Engineering Department and Layla’s attitude, realized that he could not get the answer he wanted and sat down.

“I don’t want to increase any more troublesome matters. The remnants of the Execution Department are a problem, but so are the recent attack incidents.”

“Ah, you mean that bizarre incident.”

The girl from the Theology Department responds to the words of the head of Political Science.

Layla roughly scans the report placed in front of her with her eyes.

It states that in the past few days, incidents have been continuously occurring where students of the academy are attacked by someone and lose consciousness on the spot.

Most of the students targeted are from the `Etiquette Department`, and although they lose consciousness, there are no signs of theft or any injuries to their bodies.

It’s impossible to even guess what the culprit wants to do.

However, those who lost consciousness are vague about the incident and do not remember the culprit’s appearance well, or say that there is nothing wrong with their bodies and there is no need to find the culprit, so the investigation of the case is progressing at an extremely slow pace.

“Is this also related to the Execution Department?”

“No. The means and trends are different from what we’ve seen so far. I think this is… the action of a separate individual.”

Layla answers as she feels.

The Execution Department was not in a situation where they could afford to be so conspicuous and still gain any profit.

In addition, is there some intention in concentrating the crimes only on the students of the minor `Etiquette Department`?

“Since there is no actual damage in this case, it can be postponed a little. First, there are the remnants of the Execution Department… Since there’s also Sasha’s matter, I’ll take responsibility and finish it.”

“Please do so. If you can.”

Layla sighs deeply at the words of the obnoxious Political Science student and then asks the other heads.

“…Anyway. It seems like the fastest way is to investigate the new hideout of the Execution Department. Do you have any guesses?”

“We’ve searched almost every likely place once in the past week. If there’s anything left… it would be the old school building on the outskirts, where access is prohibited.”

Layla examines the academy map, which is spread out large in the center of the round table, and confirms the location of the old school building.

“The old school building was closed in the past due to a magical experiment failure, right? I know it’s difficult for people to live there because contaminated areas remain…”

“I think the people from the Execution Department are so desperate that they have to do that.”

“…That’s also true. Then I’ll go and take a look.”

As Layla says that and gets up from her seat, the head of the Magical Engineering Department welcomes her words greatly, spreads out his arms, and speaks.

“Oh, in that case, please use the anti-contamination magic tool developed by our department…”

“I don’t need it. You’re just trying to get strange data and make me do clinical experiments again.”

001

“Those old geezers in the council… Why does it have to be a `underground tomb`…”

Kleion, who changed into his adventurer’s outfit after a long time, was walking along a bright underground path with Sasha, Iona, and Beatrix.

If you ask why it’s bright even though it’s underground, it’s not due to the power of magic lamps commonly seen in dungeons.

It was thanks to the uniqueness of the ceiling of that space.

It was a mysterious space, like an open, unobstructed space like a night sky, with countless stars, and the sun and moon floating simultaneously.

The ancients were said to have been researching magic related to the universe, and Iona explained from the side that this ceiling was part of the results of that research.

The moon repeatedly waxes and wanes, and the sun sometimes emits intense light and transmits its heat.

To maintain such powerful and vast magic, the power of a `ley line` would definitely be necessary.

They were heading to the massive tomb under the academy, which they had been told about by the council.

However, the maze-like structure and the traps that constantly blocked their path.

And the golems that occasionally appeared, still operating with semi-permanent power.

Perhaps because it had been left unattended for a long time since the academy was built above it after excavation.

It was a twisted space that had already matured as a dungeon.

Fortunately, by using the connection with `Ariadne` that Beatrix possessed.

As if following a thread, with her guidance, it was possible to proceed without going astray into the `cursed room` where the Black Church would be hiding.

“I understand the reason why I can’t pinpoint the location even when I feel the connection with Ariadne. This underground space is semi-otherworldly. Like the Monad’s Coffin.”

“I can feel an alien magic force riding my skin even when I’m standing still…”

At Beatrix’s words, Sasha shuddered and rubbed her arms.

`Not good…`

Kleion quietly frowned and tried to grasp the identity of the sticky magic force wrapping around his body.

This was a magic force he had felt before.

Iona also quietly looked at Kleion, and when their eyes met, she nodded.

“This is, a magic force from another dimension.”

“Yes. With this level of concentration, we can assume that a passage leading directly to another dimension is nearby.”

Sasha looked surprised at Iona’s words.

“Th, then. Does that mean another Boundary Tree will appear?”

Kleion shakes his head at Sasha’s scream-like words.

“That’s not the case. The reason Shradsell appeared in the Forest of Elesia was because that place was originally Shradsell’s territory.”

“That’s right, and as far as I know, there are no legends or myths about the World Tree in the vicinity of the academy. However. If a passage to another dimension remains open continuously… the problem is that there is a high probability that something bad will come over along with the constantly crossing other-dimensional magic.”

“Something bad…? Like…?”

Kleion quietly closed his mouth at Beatrix’s words, then started talking again.

“The Extradimensional Exile Zone.”

After the Shradsell incident, Kleion learned about such things through the documents left by Talcheck.

A gap in another dimension is a Boundary, that is, a space where the outside and inside are completely cut off, so it refers to exiling beings that could be a threat to the world to that place.

Its origins started in ancient times, and the World Trees were also forcibly destroyed by ancient sorcerers and exiled to the gaps in another dimension in order to destroy their immortal bodies.

And the scene that he had seen in the past.

The sight of the hero Lesia being torn from the void and sucked in as if falling into a space like a night sky.

Kleion still remembers the faces of the people wearing black robes and animal masks who visited the city that day.

However, when passages to other dimensions open, there are times when those who have been exiled try to return.

Moreover, what’s even more troublesome is that the flow of time is sometimes different between that other dimension and the world where Kleion and the others live.

Just because a dimensional passage opened 10 years after reality, it cannot be said that 10 years have passed on the exiled side as well.

No, on the contrary, there are cases where those who were exiled from the present return to reality through passages that opened in the distant past.

It is truly a disaster from the future.

“The reason why the ancient people’s technology is strangely advanced is probably because of those beings from the future – perhaps beings who were exiled from even further in the future than our present.”

As if supplementing Kleion’s explanation after he finished talking about the Exile Zone, Iona answers, and both Sasha and Beatrix do not hide their surprised reactions to the story they are hearing for the first time.

“But the fact that there hasn’t been an incident caused by something coming over from another dimension in the academy’s long history means that the passage is being controlled to some extent, I think.”

“Or it could just be that we’ve been purely lucky.”

After saying that, Iona and Kleion were thinking the same thing inside.

`Does the Black Church have the ability to control the passages to other dimensions…?`

`If that’s the case, if we use that power, we can pass through the passage and find Lesia too…`

Just as he was thinking about the things that his master and her father, the Sword Saint Talcheck, had failed to achieve and moving forward.

“Senior! It’s dangerous!”

At Beatrix’s sudden warning from behind, Kleion, who suddenly came to his senses, swung the sword that his master used and passed down to him to deflect the golem’s fist that was attacking him.

A heavy impact travels through the sword and down his arm, vibrating his bones.

The steel giant looks down from above as if it’s strange that Kleion wasn’t crushed by the blow.

Its eyes repeatedly open and close the aperture covering the glass, as if it is observing and analyzing Kleion.

The next moment. A magic arrow flies and pierces those eyes.

Sasha, as if she has now completely mastered the use of arrows made entirely of magic, fires arrows of magic that instantly create sparks while floating them in the air.

They twist like living snakes and become embedded in various joints of the golem, and the moment its movements stop.

Kleion’s breathing, feeling the golem’s power that was pressing down on him disappear-

And, a flash.

The ultimate cut, swung by combining everything that makes him who he is, bisects the golem’s body diagonally.

The golem’s core, which is the power source, is also shattered into pieces by that strike, and eventually the golem collapses on the spot and stops operating.

“Your skills have improved again.”

Iona says, looking at Kleion, who finished the battle in an instant without giving her a chance to do anything, but Kleion quietly returns the sword to its scabbard and shakes his head.

“No, Sasha’s help was bigger than mine just now. Her skills have really improved a lot.”

“Ehehe…”

Sasha scratches the back of her head, blushing as if she’s embarrassed, and Bea makes a face as if she’s a little envious of Sasha.

“Th, that golem… seeing that it suddenly appeared, it seems like it was transferred from somewhere.”

“Did it sense our intrusion and send it…? Then it must be the work of the Black Church.”

At Iona’s words, Kleion pushes the golem away and makes a path that had been blocked.

“How much further until Ariadne’s reaction?”

“I think we just need to go a little further.”

The group relies on Beatrix’s guidance and once again moves their feet to advance inside the maze.

002

“…Is this the place.”

Finally, the group arrives at the deepest part of the underground tomb.

If it weren’t for Beatrix’s guidance, they might have wandered around underground for quite some time.

In front of Kleion and the others, a large, heavy-looking door made of black stone was tightly closed.

Around the entrance of the door, there were torn pieces of large talismans that appeared to be traces of a `seal`.

When you bring your hand to it, you can tell that a barrier that refuses intrusion is spread out, crackling.

“Iona.”

When Kleion calls Iona, she quietly grabs Kleion’s hand and transforms into the form of the Holy Sword.

The barriers were maintained by black magic and other-dimensional magic.

Therefore, when Iona’s slash, imbued with holy magic that is compatible with it, is drawn in a straight line.

The barrier shatters as if glass is breaking, and at the same time, even the stone door that was blocking the entrance is smashed.

The space inside was really dark.

The light from the sun and moon that were floating simultaneously in the night sky-like ceiling did not enter this room.

The grooves engraved on the floor and the three stone tablets floating around for some reason were all there was in this place.

“This is, the Cursed Room?”

“I think so… Ariadne.”

When Beatrix quietly calls that name, something flies from the darkness inside, from an unseen place, and enters Beatrix’s hand.

That thread-like thing was the original form of Beatrix’s magic sword, `Ariadne`.

“If Ariadne is here, then Arondight must be here too.”

When Kleion creates a light orb through magic and illuminates the surroundings-

At that moment, three sets of bones scattered around come into view.

“…Are these the scholars who died in the cursed room that the Council was talking about.”

And, a glass sword emitting a blue light in the center of the stone tablets, waiting for its owner to find it.

Kleion quietly approaches and tries to reach for the hilt of that Holy Sword.

The next moment-

“That Holy Sword shouldn’t be yours. Sword Demon.”

A man’s voice is suddenly heard.

Blue, green, and red lights simultaneously enter each of the three stone tablets surrounding him.

Kleion instantly draws his sword and becomes alert at the voice coming from the blue stone tablet in particular.

“…Are you the Black Church?”

“To be exact, we are the Black Church.”

What answers Kleion’s question this time is the green stone tablet.

When a mature woman’s voice flows out, another voice naturally flows out from the red stone tablet next.

“We’ve been waiting. I wanted to talk to you once. The Black Sword Demon. Kleion.”

The darkness in the deepest part of the academy surrounds the Sword Demon.

The group does not let their guard down and examines the other party’s movements.