[I want to ask why.]
The corpulent mass quivered, and a smooth voice reverberated.
[You were last seen at the Western Resistance Front over three months ago. It’s been well over half a year since that old hag Seer died. So, what brings you to Philemon now?]
“Do you think I’m going to answer that?”
Grisha retorted sharply.
[Ah, that voice… It belongs to a sorcerer I particularly dislike. I can definitely smell the scent of a forest that has been reduced to ashes.]
Dominic’s voice carried a hint of amusement; he was evidently taunting her. Nonetheless, Grisha’s countenance remained frigid.
Instead, she glanced at Lennok and silently indicated her eyes.
She had come to realize that the Drug Lord could no longer ascertain the identities of Lennok and Grisha.
[To be honest, I didn’t think this ritual would activate. I had taken out business insurance, but I hadn’t heard any news from the autonomous territory. So, I thought you Lighthouse folks had abandoned this beautiful land…]
The fleshy entity emitted a low chuckle.
[I was mistaken. You were waiting for an opportunity.]
“……”
[This is a pleasant miscalculation. If the Lighthouse Keeper is making a move at this point, it undoubtedly means that damn woman’s nest is still somewhere in the autonomous territory.]
Dominic’s voice carried a subtle, menacing undertone, exerting a heavy presence on the surroundings.
Even without any magical or supernatural abilities, Dominic Cabaro’s aura was undoubtedly a result of his overwhelming presence.
[It also means it’s time for me to recoup the investment I’ve poured into this land.]
[So… wait in this prison you’ve created. I’ll personally come to pluck out the Lighthouse Keeper’s eyes.]
As soon as he finished speaking, the orifice within the fleshy mass contracted, emitting an inhuman sound.
Squeeeeee—!!!
A sound that felt like it was tearing at the ears.
However, Lennok recognized that it wasn’t merely a scream; it was a type of resonating sound with a unique wavelength.
“Davi!”
[Detecting a magical wavelength with a specific pattern. Accessing authority within the magical system. Beginning jamming.]
Zzzzrrrrk!!
Davi promptly attempted to counteract the noise by emitting similar resonating sounds, but it was already too late.
The previously silent alarm blared loudly in deep red, and an announcement began to play.
[Changes in autonomous territory security clearance detected. Special emergency mode activated. An emergency barrier will be deployed throughout the floating island colony in 5 minutes.]
Lennok and Grisha’s expressions hardened at the unforeseen announcement.
Squeeeeeeeee!!!
The fleshy mass suddenly surged forward, its movement clearly malicious, likely part of a spell programmed by the Drug Lord in advance.
Lennok sighed and began to gather his mana.
As he had spent the entire night absorbing knowledge of fire-elemental magic from Byzen like a sponge, it unfolded within his mind.
Whoosh!!
[Explosive Flame Sphere]
[Eightfold Transformation]
The fire-elemental magic system of Blaiver Magic Tower recommends starting with this palm-sized fireball.
Its characteristics reflect the explosive growth potential inherent to fire-elemental magic.
The concept is to harness its destructive force, which spreads like wildfire, in a gradual progression.
Moreover, it carries the sentiment of the creator, a reminder of one’s novice spirit through their first magic learned.
While Byzen, the wizard he had learned from, lacked such sentiment, Lennok could sense the intentions of the original creator of this magical system.
Unlike the complacent and decadent wizards of the Magic Tower, this magical system embodied a form of humble dedication reminiscent of its founder.
It was the struggle of an ancient individual who never ceased in their quest to avoid being consumed by their own flames.
As the fireball split into eight tendrils and rotated smoothly, it warmly enveloped the charging flesh. The divided flames transformed into enormous petals, outlining the form of a crimson lotus, and the flesh exposed to the intense heat at its core began to disintegrate into ash.
[Red Lotus]
“Whoaaa!!”
“Kieeek…!”
Before experiencing any significant pain, the flesh convulsed and gradually turned into dust.
Only faint traces of smoke remained, bearing witness to the fact that dozens of lives had once existed here.
Lennok harbored no sympathy for the soldiers who had attempted to kill them, but he grasped the reason why fire magic had been crafted in this manner. If using magic left nothing behind, the aftermath would be a void.
In the now empty underground chamber, only toppled metal shelves lay strewn about.
Grisha, with a visibly fatigued expression, massaged her temples.
“Damn… I didn’t expect things to get this big. We need to return to the lighthouse right away.”
Despite her urgency, Lennok remained unruffled as he approached the spot where he had incinerated the flesh.
“Evan, what are you doing now?”
“Wait, this is…”
Grisha’s concern was justified.
If the department head directly connected to the lighthouse had fallen, it was impossible to gauge the extent of the Drug Lord’s influence.
Leaving the building to strategize for the future was the right course of action, but Lennok did not halt his efforts.
The sensation he had perceived from the flesh’s incantation was indescribable yet profound.
Lennok, who rarely forgot anything related to magic or incantations, found it peculiar that he held such a faint remnant of a memory.
What if the crucial piece of information hadn’t merely been forgotten by Lennok but concealed by the Drug Lord?
If he didn’t validate this sensation while the remnants of the flesh still smoldered, the clue might vanish forever.
Lennok placed his hand on the ground, striving to vividly recollect the remnants of the incantation.
On the surface, it appeared that the Drug Lord had orchestrated all of this through mysterious drugs, but undoubtedly, there was an incantation involved as well.
This could potentially provide a solution to the predicament they currently faced.
“…Alright.”
After committing the traces of the incantation to memory, Lennok raised the statue he had been holding and stood upright.
“First, let’s leave the building and assess the situation. We need to figure out exactly what is going on.”
***
Lennok and Grisha promptly returned to the lighthouse.
Instead of the usual spacious areas on the upper floors of the tower, they were greeted by Lapis in a finely decorated meeting room.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Already, around ten individuals were seated in the conference room.
Evidently, this expansive space was not typically utilized for ordinary matters.
As soon as Lennok entered the room, all eyes converged on him.
This was hardly surprising.
He had caused quite a commotion upon arriving at the lighthouse, so it was natural for them to be curious.
Lennok casually assessed those who were watching him.
Despite the room’s capacity for approximately fifty occupants, only around ten were seated, but each of them held a significant role in the world of magic.
It had been mentioned that they were continuously recruiting skilled individuals to combat the Drug Lord, and judging by the assembly before him, it wasn’t an exaggeration.
While none of them possessed the overwhelming power of Grisha, the organization appeared to be self-sustaining, which was a reassuring sign.
Taking a seat in a distant corner of the conference room, the discussion commenced immediately.
“The situation has become serious,” Lapis declared with a somber countenance.
“I can’t believe the self-governing territory’s security system has become so lax that it can be activated from a distance during wartime…”
The situation that Eyes of Blue had identified while the two sorcerers were making their way back to the lighthouse unfolded as follows:
While Eyes of Blue was battling on the Western Resistance Front, the Drug Lord had apparently come to the conclusion that the lighthouse was unguarded and began to extend his influence into the self-governing territory.
Despite being one of the top merchants on the continent, exerting control over a territory thousands of kilometers away seemed challenging. Consequently, he seemed to have selectively targeted various departments and jurisdictions. It was precisely during this phase that the true identity of Enrico, a lighthouse official, had been exposed.
An affiliate of the Drug Lord who had infiltrated the Relic Department had assassinated Enrico, assumed his identity, and attempted to apprehend the lighthouse personnel.
Realizing that his scheme had failed, the Drug Lord had revealed himself and forcibly declared a state of emergency in the self-governing territory.
“Why was it the Relic Department of all places?” Grisha muttered, crossing her arms.
“It’s true that a significant amount of artifacts are being traded in the self-governing territory, but there aren’t many artifacts worth setting his sights on.”
“Most of what does exist is limited to ancient artifacts used in this floating island community… It shouldn’t be that important to him, who is doing business across the continent.”
“The issue is now the large-scale emergency barrier surrounding the entire self-governing territory,” a Watcher standing next to Lapis added with a grave expression.
“It wouldn’t matter if it were just a state of emergency, but because the Drug Lord tampered with the security system, the emergency barrier has been activated.”
“What is its exact scale and power?”Lennok inquired, to which she promptly responded, indicating that all necessary information had been meticulously gathered.
Their intelligence-gathering capabilities were living up to the organization’s reputation.
“The function is set to perfectly isolate the inside from the outside. Once deployed, it will last for three days, and there is a limit to the number of deployments. It’s something that should only be used in a situation where the survival of Philemon is at stake.”
Lapis continued, “It would never have been deployed with just this level of interference, but it was set to be deployable at any time due to the recent continuous tension with Vulcan.”
“How unlucky can we get…” Grisha shook her head in disbelief.
While it all appeared to be a series of unfortunate events, Lennok knew that none of it was mere happenstance.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Dominic Cabaro had declared a state of emergency as soon as he became certain of the lighthouse’s existence.
From the start, Lennok had been aware that the operation of the self-governing territory’s barrier was somewhat loosely controlled.
While a series of unfortunate events had led to this situation, the outcome was a result of the incompetence of the self-governing territory government and the Drug Lord’s aggressive intervention.
There was no point in dwelling on what couldn’t be changed.
“The biggest problem is that the barrier that has spread throughout the self-governing territory operates to isolate the inside from the outside,” said the Watcher, projecting a hologram at the rear of the conference room.
A three-dimensional map of the floating island community materialized, displaying a vast spherical barrier enveloping it.
“Given the terrain of the self-governing territory, where the land is limited and the floating islands exist at various altitudes, this was a possible barrier…”
“Now it’s more like a prison that’s trapping us,” Grisha grumbled, biting his cigar.
The Drug Lord had transformed the barrier, originally intended to protect the self-governing territory, into a cage to prevent Eyes of Blue from escaping.
The fact that he had sensed the presence of the lighthouse on the spot and acted upon it made him even more unpredictable.
“The barrier will last for three days… considering what he said, do you think he can rush here from the other side of the continent in just three days?”
“That’s nonsense. He’s in the far-off Paragini Republic, thousands of kilometers away. How could he find the location of the lighthouse?”
On Earth, an airplane could cover that distance in less than a day.
However, in this world teeming with various bizarre natural phenomena, flying was far from a safe mode of transportation.
Even within the Vulcan, communication was hampered by magnetic storms that frequently struck the undeveloped regions on the periphery.
“If Juice Master is just a simple drug dealer, then sure.”
“…”
“He controls 40% of drug distribution across the continent alone, is a member of the Spellcasters Guild, and at the same time possesses powerful technical resources to continually supply new drugs to the market.”
“That is…”
“If he has that kind of technical capability, it’s not at all strange for him to have various hidden tricks to manage his trade network.”
It was difficult to fathom, but it wasn’t implausible, and therein lay the issue.
In a world brimming with diverse spells and abilities, it couldn’t be asserted that there wasn’t a potent teleportation spell capable of traversing the entire continent.
Furthermore, there was no guarantee that the Drug Lord hadn’t obtained access to such a rare form of transportation.
Lennok also harbored doubts that the formula the Drug Lord had concocted using human corpses was a conventional spell.
It undeniably represented a unique creation of the Drug Lord, melding the effects of spells and drugs.
If one could employ a spell that reduced living humans to liquid, then covering vast distances and arriving in an isolated autonomous region wasn’t an inconceivable feat.
Given the constraints of time and space, the Watchers swiftly exchanged views on its feasibility.
The assembled magic users were of considerable expertise, each possessing strong convictions, which fueled a profound discussion.
Lennok listened to their opinions for a while, but when it became apparent that significant headway wasn’t being made, he lightly tapped the table to conclude the conversation.
“Let’s stop there. There’s no need to drag this issue out.”
The other Watchers turned their attention to him.
From their expressions, brimming with intense curiosity, it appeared they were already aware of the events that transpired in the Sky Castle.
Lennok spoke, calmly absorbing their gazes.
“Ultimately, it’s impossible for us to verify the truth of what the Drug Lord said. We can’t know what means he is planning to use.”
“……”
“But the opponent also hasn’t heard why we tried to contact Enrico. In other words, he doesn’t know that we are looking for his safe.”
The crucial factor isn’t whether the Drug Lord lied, but rather the extent of information we’ve concealed, as it significantly alters the available courses of action.
Finally, the Watchers who grasped the implications of Lennok’s words widened their eyes.
“That’s right. That’s the crux.”
“So we just need to decide the direction in which we will move first, right? You’re correct.”
“Because our focus was on the barrier, we put it aside. The only thing exposed to them is the fact of our existence. Technically, the right to take the first move is ours.”
With a keyword introduced, the meeting quickly pivoted.
Momentarily thrown off balance by the revelation that the security system of the autonomous region had been breached in one fell swoop, they were nonetheless seasoned professionals with years of experience in the field.
Lennok consolidated the discussions from all sides into a singular conclusion.
“Yes. No matter how much the Drug Lord has extended his reach into various parts of the autonomous region, there must be a ledger for managing his subordinates on-site.”
And if such a ledger did exist, there was only one probable location for it.
“Let’s find his safe and loot all its contents. The first thing we need to do is just this.”
