Book Eater

Chapter 191: Around the Desert (1)

The Meuse Desert, located in the midwest of the continent and southwest of the Austen Kingdom, was highly notorious. The Great Drought had sent massive sandstorms across the land, bringing famine to Austen as well as some sections of the Central continent.

In the early days of the Meuse Desert, it was only the size of three or four small estates. After hundreds of years, it had expanded to over half of Austen’s land. That was when it became known as the Meuse Desert.

In the founding myths of Austen, the one who killed the founder, and was eponymous with a disaster, had been Meuse. The people of the desert kingdom had begun to believe that a grudge held by the mythical creature was turning the earth dry. They couldn’t accept that this unreasonable disaster was merely accidental misfortune.

They didn’t believe that disaster occurs when good luck changes directions.

Thanks to the sacred nature of the Sultan, the people of Austen treated the drought as an enemy. If the drought halted, they would say that they were victorious, and when the drought resumed, they would say that the evil spirits had risen again.

[It is a battle of patience! Fight for the Sultan!]

According to Austen’s doctrines, warriors would die and go to heaven, where they would receive beautiful women and mansions. Therefore, the peasants, who were jealous of the warriors, were bound to fall for the lure.

It wasn’t about fighting with a sword on the battlefield but about being able to go to heaven after death! Some fanatics even starved to death, despite having plenty of food and water.

Piety had turned Austen into a country that was now barely breathing. The Meuse Desert was also a refuge for those who considered the Sultan to be a false god and wanted to avoid the noose. No one was allowed to enter the Meuse Desert, the land of the evil gods, so there were no signs of anybody at the border. However, the situation was different today.

Flash!

A light abruptly appeared out of thin air where only hot sand, a burning sun, and dry winds were present. Naturally, the light which emerged from the air was Meltor’s investigation team.

The Red Tower Master Veronica, the four members of Quattro, and Mujak appeared thirty meters above the sand, but the party landed easily. It would be ridiculous if they were hurt by a fall of this height. Theo and Mujak chose to strengthen their bodies, while the others used magic. Veronica was the last to land.

Kung!

Her ankles sank into the sand due to the object she was carrying. It was a carriage, the fruit of a collaboration between the White Tower and Yellow Tower. The four wheels of the carriage moved using magic power instead of horses.

Mujak opened his mouth and spoke in a trembling voice, “W-We really moved here instantly... Meltor’s national power is hard to fathom.”

It was natural for him to feel fear. He had never imagined it was possible to instantly teleport to Austen's blind spot, the Meuse Desert. This would be impossible without the White Tower Master. However, Mujak didn’t know this and felt like it was a demonstration that Meltor could destroy Austen anytime they wanted.

Veronica laughed cheerfully. “So, be careful, okay? Rats can die without knowing what hit them.”

“... I will be careful.” It didn’t sound like a joke to Mujak, who nodded seriously.

After all, Veronica had nearly killed him once. The atmosphere grew cold. He was still bound by the Geass Scroll, but he still couldn’t be trusted.

Theo hastily found a topic which he thought would change this atmosphere. “How far away are the ruins?”

“Um... wait a minute.” Mujak opened the map, traced a path, and finally gave an answer. “We should head straight south, approaching diagonally. Based on my pace, it should take four or five days, depending on everyone else.”

“Five days...”

It was both a long and short amount of time. Paragranum said that the ruins wouldn’t be entered easily, but he never knew what could happen. It was still best to arrive as soon as possible.

At that moment, Veronica bluntly asked, “Wait a minute, five days?”

“That’s right, Lady Veronica. Unlike other deserts, the Meuse Desert doesn’t lose its heat at night, and it is impossible to move quickly. Considering our abilities, we won’t be able to walk all night and day. Therefore, it will take five days.”

.

“But that’s why I brought this heavy thing.” Veronica smacked the exterior of the carriage.

However, Mujak’s expression grew mocking. “Do you think that?carriage can roll properly in the desert? Where are the horses or camels to pull it?”

“It runs on magic power, so won’t it roll well?”

“How would the wheels turn in the sand?”

Indeed, Theo had to admit that Mujak wasn’t wrong. The sand was only ankle deep, but they would often be wading shin deep through the dunes. No matter how outstanding the carriage was, the wheels obviously wouldn’t turn.

However, Veronica scoffed. “Hah, if there isn’t a path, then we should make one. Why do masters have to be obsessed with common sense? How funny.”

“What? What does that mea...”

Veronica ignored Mujak and spun to face in the direction they had to walk. She took in a deep breath that sucked in all the air in that area. The wind and sand changed directions, and Theo paled as he realized her intentions.

… Surely!

His temple throbbed with pain, and his body started to tingle. His experience with adversity instinctively moved his Circles.

Jjejejeok!

Ice barriers rose around them. One, two... As many as seven ice barriers separated the rest of the party from Veronica. The party was perplexed by the sudden spellcasting, but Sylvia gasped and joined in.

“Stop anything in front of me, Glacial Wall!”

Seven layers of the 6th Circle spell, Glacial Wall, rose around them. It could even withstand explosives from the inside. William didn’t understand what the two of them were doing and tried to speak. However, the answer was soon evident.

――――――――――――――!!

An incredible heat wave expanded outside the ice wall, moving faster than the air could burn. It seemed more like the sun’s radiance than flames as it swept outward. Dragon Breath almost seemed to cleave the Meuse Desert into two. The sand on the ground melted into glass.

“......”

“......”

No one could even open their mouths, even Theo, who had experienced Veronica’s breath once before. He had only seen it shot into the sky with minimal wind up. This breath was incomparable to that one. It stretched beyond the horizon. Kilometers of sand had turned into lava.

If Theo was facing this blow directly, his every defensive resource would shatter and he would die from the radiant heat. Even if he tried to avoid it, it was traveling at the speed of light. Like Theo, Mujak’s face paled as he imagined it.

Hiccuping, William whispered in a small voice, “C-Captain. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? Right?”

“... Maybe not, perhaps.”

“Perhaps?!”

As William trembled in fear, Veronica looked around at the landscape she created and said, “Isn’t this good now? It’ll last for thirty minutes, so let’s get on the carriage. I don’t like the feeling of sand in my shoes.”

The party looked at Veronica with absurd expressions as they realized why she had used Breath, but she just ignored them. After a moment, the blistering heat from the Dragon Breath affected them, and they began to sweat.

Veronica waved from the carriage. “What are you doing? Get in.”

The journey of Meltor’s investigation team had just begun.

***

The desert air was unbearably hot as the sun glared down, but the knights in black armor didn’t dare to rest. A knight with a thin jawline stood on top of a dune overlooking the activity.

It was the Empire’s Seven Sword, Lloyd Pollan. It was hard to imagine that one would show up at the ruins, but the presence of a difficult person was a disaster for the subordinates. Even the Shadow Knights waited before him like rats before a cat.

“Hrmm, this really is a set of ruins from the Age of Mythology,” Lloyd said as he looked around at the excavation work which couldn’t be completed.

He examined the dome that had defied their attempts at breaking in, and the strange silver liquid flowing out of a tunnel. It was a rare trace of an old era.

Sururung.

He pulled out the sword that was belted at his waist.

“Step back,” Lloyd advised as he gripped his sword.

His aura was markedly different from regular aura users. It took some time to build up maximum power, but his sword was soon covered in a dark turquoise aura. His ability wasn’t related to destructive power, so this attack could be called pure strength.

Stab.?

Lloyd’s sword shot straight forward, like a lightning bolt.

Kaaang!

However, the attack which could penetrate through dozens of layers of iron and a few layers of mithril only left a scratch on the dome. It was amazing compared to the Shadow Knights who couldn’t even leave a scratch, but it stung his pride as a sword master.

“... Indeed, this can’t be done through force.”

An obstacle which could withstand the power of a sword master wasn’t one that could be broken down with destructive power.

The leader of the Shadow Knights asked from behind Lloyd, “I’m sorry for making you come all the way here, Sir Pollan. We will somehow...”

“No, don’t apologize. I was sent by the prince because he was expecting something like this,” Lloyd mumbled as he examined his sword. “I don’t like it, but... I will respond to those expectations. Spoiled prince.”

It was a blasphemous remark, but the Shadow Knight ignored it and focused on his actions.

Lloyd was more similar to the Shadow Knights than the Seven Swords. He didn’t have tremendous destructive power nor superior combat capabilities, but his missions were always successes. His Aura Ability allowed him to pass through difficult situations like a ghost.

The shadows watched the brightly colored aura and gulped. How much time had passed by? Lloyd, who was concentrating with both eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and stabbed the sword down into the ground.

Pushuk!

The ground started to ooze highly poisonous silver liquid, like every other spot they had dug. The liquid contained an awful stench, but Lloyd was already out of range as he pointed to the spot.

“Bury explosives at the point I just marked. Not just one but many. That’s the only way to open this set of ruins.”

“Yes, I understand! Everybody move!”

There were no objections. The Shadow Knights knew Lloyd well, so they followed his orders faithfully. It was the height of disloyalty to disobey the words of their superior. The loyalty of the Shadow Knights toward the empire was just as high as the Austen fanatics.

Lloyd muttered, “There is a pretty bad possibility, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to die at the hands of the prince.”

Indeed, Lloyd was able to find a solution in any difficult situation. However, he knew that the solution wasn’t always good.