Chapter 51

Chapter 51

In Ebla, there was an institution called the “Council,” which decided the city’s great and small affairs.

It was commonly known as the Ebla Council.

The Council was arranged around a large round table at its center, with numerous houses seated around it. In each of three directions, atop tall staircases, stood three High Seats.

Those places, shrouded in darkness and veils, were the seats of the true rulers who governed Ebla on behalf of the Royal Family.

They were the seats of Trinity.

“……Therefore, I believe this matter concerning the Second Floor must be handled with gravity.”

In that place where the nobles had gathered, an unusually early meeting was underway.

The agenda was none other than the matter of the Landscape Realm on the Second Floor.

It concerned the disappearance of South Spirit Mountain.

“South Spirit Mountain has vanished. Is there any force other than one that could cause an entire mountain to disappear?”

“Are you referring to the Descent of the Great Precept?”

“I am.”

The Descent of the Great Precept was a power that could be called the symbol of a Master.

When their existence became the topic, the sound of people swallowing groans could be heard from here and there.

“In the current situation, with the Downfall Order rampant, circumstances suspected to be the traces of a Master have been discovered. It is only right that we conduct an investigation.”

The one continuing to speak was the Head of the House of House Hollis, a figure who belonged to the hardliners among Ebla’s nobles.

“Nothing is certain yet…….”

“Nonsense! Even if a Master’s footsteps are not certain, they must be watched closely. Have you already forgotten the ‘Great Silence’?”

“Ahem…….”

The voice of the noble who had been objecting subsided.

The Great Silence.

It was an anomaly that occurred a hundred years ago, referring to the massacre Possessor Enlil carried out against Ebla.

At a moment no one had expected, she rose to become a Master, and through the “Descent of the Great Precept” she unleashed in the city, more than half of Ebla’s population was swept away in tragedy.

At the time, not only ordinary people but even several Masters lost their lives, and even the Royal Capital was torn apart, resulting in the murder of countless nobles.

In the end, the “Royal Family,” which had broken its long seclusion, stepped forward to mediate, and ultimately issued a Record-Erasure Order…… It was the most atrocious and horrific tragedy in Ebla’s thousand-year history.

“Is there any law saying such a thing will not happen again? A Master’s movements must be watched closely!”

“House Hollis has a point, but…….”

“How do you intend to conduct that investigation? If it truly was the work of a Master, we may risk provoking them.”

“Then are you saying we should simply sit still?”

“That is not what I meant─”

Their difference of opinion did not narrow easily.

A Master’s movements had to be watched closely. However, if they recklessly launched an investigation, they might unnecessarily provoke a Master who had been remaining still.

A monster capable of grinding away an entire mountain in a single strike, at that.

“We will never reach a conclusion at this rate.”

A middle-aged man struck the round table hard.

Then the heated discussion that had been going back and forth subsided all at once.

“……What does the elder of Kashiria think?”

“Hmm…….”

The man, Elos Kashiria, the Archbishop of the Golden Order, paused briefly.

“This matter is too grave for us to decide among ourselves. I believe it is right to entrust it to the great elders.”

The great elders referred to the masters of Trinity.

They rarely stepped forward unless the fate of the nation was at stake, but if the round table passed an agenda to them, they would make a decision.

In terms of structure, the round table was the lower house, and Trinity was the upper house.

And Elos was one of the few people here who could seek Trinity’s opinion.

“What are the great elders’ thoughts?”

Then, from the High Seats of the Council, an enormous presence revealed itself.

The dark thrones veiled in shadow.

A heavy light settled upon two of those seats.

At their appearance, all the nobles at the round table showed respect and bowed their heads.

[Abstain.]

House Ortanis declared its abstention.

It was not strange.

They were famous for casting abstention votes on most matters.

[Do as you wish. However, anyone 4-Star or higher is forbidden from participating.]

The second house of Trinity.

Lorentze offered limited approval.

[…….]

And the final throne did not attend, giving no answer at all.

Two abstentions and one approval.

The agenda was passed.

“If you forbid the participation of any talent 4-Star or higher, may we perhaps send ‘that child’? I believe it is about time for the child to see the world.”

[Do so.]

Lorentze gave an indifferent answer, and with that, Trinity’s presence vanished.

The nobles began to show voices of concern.

“Um…… By that child, you surely mean Lorentze’s…….”

“That is right. As I said, it is about time for the child to see the world.”

He smiled meaningfully.

He recalled the daughter of House Ortanis whom he had met not long ago on the First Floor, and the boy who had been traveling with her.

Just what kind of anomaly would the bond between those two and that child bring about?

“I look forward to it.”

Surely, it would be quite enjoyable to watch.

***

The Forest of Returning Souls.

Located at the edge of the Second Floor’s Landscape Realm, it was a vast forest bordering the Styxia River, which flowed around the dungeon’s outskirts.

‘The atmosphere is murderous.’

Although it was broad daylight, the enormous forest was covered in deep blue darkness, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

On top of that, ghostly wails could sometimes be heard, making it a forest that strongly gave the impression that nothing good would happen if one entered.

‘The Forest of Returning Souls was a place where Puppet monsters mainly appeared.’

Undead monsters in which vengeful spirits dwelled inside mannequin-like Puppets.

These creatures could only be defeated by using Traits, so it was a difficult zone for beginners, but since all three of us could use Traits, that was not a problem.

Rather than that, the effect possessed by the field itself was a little troublesome.

‘The effect was definitely…… that over time, you gradually fall into a state of confusion, right?’

When one entered the Forest of Returning Souls, the countless vengeful spirits lurking in the forest attacked the intruder’s soul.

Then the status effect buildup accumulated, and the moment it filled completely, one fell into the “Confusion” status effect and either attacked one’s own team or committed suicide on the spot.

It would be neatly resolved if we had a Priest, but since our party had no Priest, we had to use an item called an Exorcism Talisman to lower the status effect buildup.

Since it was a consumable, we normally would have had to buy it with money, but this time, White Cloud Castle had provided support.

After all, we had also come here with the mission of rescuing a castaway from House Lorentze.

“Where did they say the distress signal came from?”

At my question, Persica checked the map.

“We have to walk for about an hour. Still, it is relatively close.”

Had they almost made it out of the forest before ending up stranded?

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this person was hopelessly reckless.

‘Was House Lorentze like this?’

If House Ortanis was in charge of Ebla’s administration and financial power, House Lorentze was the house in charge of law and religion.

In other words, it was a house that enforced and managed the law while also belonging to the Golden Order.

Perhaps because of that, they did have somewhat rigid and stubborn aspects, but they were not people so foolish as to be completely reckless.

Was this another part that differed from the game……?

“How are the side effects?”

“I think I can endure them.”

Together with Persica, I checked the side effects affecting my body.

I had checked them frequently on the way here as well, but perhaps because I had performed Mana Stone Absorption, I could clearly feel that the effects had become much weaker than before.

Previously, I would feel dizzy and nauseous after moving even a little, but now, although I felt stuffy and as though I had indigestion, it was far better than before.

“Let us hurry. Quite some time has already passed, so they may already be dead.”

Perhaps because the other party was Trinity, Jin Sohwi seemed a little more anxious than usual.

“Would it become a problem if they died?”

“Who knows…….”

We immediately looked back at Persica.

Even if their houses were different, they were part of the same Trinity, so we thought she would know their way of doing things.

She spoke with an uneasy expression.

“It was their own mistake, so nothing much should happen. Though I do not think they are dead either.”

“Then let us go quickly.”

“Do not rush. If we move suddenly, the vengeful spirits will go wild.”

Just as Persica said, vengeful spirits that had sensed intruders were flying in from here and there.

─Intruders……! Living beings have entered……!

─Living bodies…….

KIIIAAAAA─

At a glance, they looked like whitish mist.

These creatures had the characteristic that the more companions there were, the more their numbers increased exponentially.

‘Even seeing it again, the difficulty is awful.’

Due to the nature of a Demonic Region, it was extremely difficult to clear alone, yet the more party members there were, the faster the status effect filled, increasing the danger of team-killing or self-destruction.

There were even monsters within this Demonic Region that drew in even more vengeful spirits or raised the Confusion value itself.

The reward it gave was also a Mysticism-Type Secret Manual, so back when I played the game, it was a Demonic Region no one visited except for oddballs like me.

“Ugh, it does not look like there are just one or two of them.”

“It cannot be helped. Let us move as quietly as possible. Without provoking the vengeful spirits……?”

Persica, who had been continuing her words, tilted her head.

The vengeful spirits rushing toward us suddenly showed a strange reaction.

At the point when they had about three meters of distance left, they stopped dead, then began trembling with their mist-like bodies.

─A ghost……!

─The intruders brought a tremendous demon spirit with them……!

─Run away……!

KIIIAAAAAA─

After scattering ghostly wails all around, they fled as though their tails were on fire.

The forest where the vengeful spirits had fled cleared in an instant, leaving only a silence as still as death.

“Huh? What? Why are they doing that?”

“I do not know either…… Isran, do you know anything?”

“…….”

Do not ask me. I did not know either.

I had cleared the Forest of Returning Souls many times, but I had never heard of or seen vengeful spirits getting scared and running away.

Just as even I was bewildered, Hyeollyeo, who had remained silent, spoke.

[I did it.]

‘You did?’

[Some trifling things were barking without knowing their place, so I revealed a little of my presence and chased them away. They were buzzing and wailing from all directions, so they were unbearably noisy.]

‘…….’

[Now I can finally breathe.]

In other words, the vengeful spirits had seen Hyeollyeo dwelling within me and run away.

Now that I thought about it, Hyeollyeo was originally the Great Mountain Centipede, a centipede that had lived for several hundred years.

It was a spirit creature that had once cultivated until it was just short of becoming a dragon, so from the vengeful spirits’ perspective, it must have appeared to be an extraordinary monster…….

“……Amazing.”

This might let me have an absurdly easy time in this Demonic Region.

***

Could there possibly be a Demonic Region this comfortable in the world?

For the entire hour we walked after that, we did not see even a trace of a vengeful spirit.

“Was this place originally this easy……?”

Perhaps because it differed from the knowledge she knew, Persica tilted her head in confusion.

“What does it matter? If it is comfortable, that is a good thing.”

“Things like this all become variables.”

She seemed confused, but since I had no desire to reveal Hyeollyeo’s existence, I had simply been walking silently for a while now.

To be precise, I was in the middle of talking with Hyeollyeo.

Ever since we had entered the Forest of Returning Souls, the creature had been reacting as if it found the place fascinating.

[This is the first time I have learned that this forest looks like this.]

‘You know the Forest of Returning Souls?’

[I only heard stories about it. It is a place Jin Ryeon spoke of.]

Hyeollyeo, who had lived in the Landscape Realm for a long time, somehow knew about the Forest of Returning Souls as well.

‘Come to think of it, South Spirit Mountain, which I thought was just a Demonic Region, was actually a place with a hidden history.’

It was Hyeollyeo’s homeland, and the place where Jin Ryeon, who had found it, bestowed teachings upon the creature.

Hyeollyeo, having become the Great Mountain Centipede in that way, shut itself away in the mountain and devoted itself to cultivation. Then, as the clans that followed it increased one by one, that became the history of how South Spirit Mountain turned into a Demonic Region.

‘Could this forest also be connected to Jin Ryeon?’

[Of course. He said it was a place where he fought personally. I heard that afterward, a gloomy energy settled in the forest, turning it into its current appearance.]

‘How do you know what happened afterward?’

[I heard it from humans who entered my mountain without fear.]

Apparently, it had not killed them, but merely frightened them into confessing.

After hearing that story, I could not help falling into thought for a moment.

If this forest had been created because of Jin Ryeon, did that not mean the Forest of Returning Souls itself was a terrain that did not exist in the past?

……Was it just my imagination?

On the Second Floor, every time I learned about a region, I felt as though I was following Jin Ryeon’s footsteps.

It felt as if the entire floor itself had assimilated with Jin Ryeon’s deeds.

As if it were not enough for it to possess an entirely separate culture, even the entire environment had been influenced by him.

How had something like that been possible?

Could a dungeon floor be transformed by the influence of a single Adventurer?

‘Who did Jin Ryeon fight?’

[That, I do not know well either. At that time, Jin Ryeon’s air was extremely melancholy, and I did not feel inclined to ask him any further.]

We did not know the opponent.

However, it was certain that he had come here.

‘Could Demonic Regions perhaps be related to Masters?’

Could it be that due to some influence caused by a Master, a field changed and became a Demonic Region?

I fell into thought for a while as we walked, and after some time, a certain light began to appear in the distance.

“It looks like we found them.”

When we moved a little closer, I saw a golden barrier spread out a short distance away.

From the looks of it, it seemed to be a 2-Star Divinity-Type Holy Spell Art, “Sacred Wall”…….

“They are surrounded by…… Puppets.”

Broken, moss-covered mannequins were pounding on the barrier, and among them was a large creature that looked like a Named.

A monster with a body at least three times the size of the Puppets, with threads dangling from its many arms as it controlled them.

It was a 3-Star monster, a “Puppeteer.”

‘The one who used the Holy Spell Art must be the person who sent the distress signal.’

House Lorentze was famous as a house of clergy, so the owner of that Holy Spell Art was likely the stranded person in question.

Judging by the way the barrier was shaking precariously, its durability was nearly depleted.

Persica spoke with her eyes shining.

“Jin Sohwi, deal with the Puppets together with me.”

“Good! It is time to fight!”

His eyes shone as he drew his saber.

“Isran, deal with the Puppeteer, and handle the rescue while you are at it.”

“Understood.”

While the two of them took on the swarm of Puppets, I would kill the Named and rescue the stranded person.

To anyone else, it would look like she was throwing a teammate into the jaws of death, but for our team, it was the most appropriate decision.

“Leave it to me.”

SHRING─My sword was drawn from its scabbard.

Ishara rang out with a single clear sword cry in the gloomy forest.

Secret Art: Ethrana, its first chapter.

I intended to test it here.