Chapter 70

I ran and caught up with Eberheid, who was walking briskly.

After walking around for a long time and using up all my magic, I was a bit out of breath. I thought about taking an Abel potion and fumbled in my pocket.

"…Oh, did I run out already?"

I was going to give it to Eberheid… then it was pointed out as illegal… and there was the hobgoblin attack… wait, didn't I get it back?

Did I leave it behind?

It seems this was the last vial I had on me.

There should have been more in the carriage, but I can't go back to get them now.

"Hey, Eberheid… I don't think you knew what was in the depths of the ruins, did you…?"

"Indeed, you have a good sense."

So, you did know.

Then why did you pretend not to know?

From the way things have been going, you must have had the lord fund this secretly.

"Beyond this door, there are ten golems lined up on each side. They are the culmination of the technology of the Sky Kingdom. Don't worry, they aren't guarding the ruins. They are just unused weapons."

…Do you think it's okay to tell me this?

"What's beyond that?"

"Well, let me tell you an old tale of the Zesum."

Then Eberheid began to speak, walking forward.

"The Zesum elves, defeated in the religious war, were driven to the surface. For us elves, it was the greatest humiliation. A peaceful yet certain decline of our species. In a way, it was worse than execution. For generations, we could only lament and envy the heavens."

While listening to Eberheid's story, we passed through the second door.

The corridor that spread out was different from before, with gaudy colors.

The walls were semi-elliptical, and in the recesses, there were white clay figures about three meters tall sitting there.

These were the Zesum golems.

As Eberheid said, there were ten on each side.

Behind me, the survey team members and Weygner let out exclamations of amazement.

I would have wanted to rush to the golems if the atmosphere wasn't so tense.

"But my ancestors did not give up. They ravaged and plundered the surface Noks, building a strong fortress. For what? To bring down the heavens and reclaim the throne for the Zesum."

The current public story is that the Zesum ruins were built by the elves as a countermeasure against persecution from the Noks.

However, this is completely the opposite.

The elves were the ones who attacked first.

"Eventually, the Zesum king fell in love with a Nok. Amidst the growing hatred of the Zesum on the surface, the king ordered his close aides to seal the Zesum fortress with a powerful barrier.

He must have thought that if it were completely destroyed, the Zesum elves would be persecuted. By sealing the fortress as a peace proposal, he also put pressure on the Noks. However, in the end, the king was killed by other elves."

Eberheid spoke of the history of the Zesum that was not publicly recorded.

Mia, who was listening to Eberheid's story, gripped my hand tightly.

When I looked at her, she was looking at me anxiously.

"So, the Arrow of God is…"

I turned my gaze back to Eberheid and asked.

"Of course, it is a weapon to pierce the Sky Kingdom. With it, anything in this world can be obtained. It is the most valuable treasure in the world. How foolish of the king to choose a Nok woman over it."

When we reached the middle of the corridor lined with golems, Eberheid stopped and turned around.

"Well, you are no longer of use to me."

As he said this, Eberheid swung his arm.

The target was Weygner, who was enthusiastically explaining to the survey team.

"Shika, this hand!"

I had expected this but was still on guard.

I swung my staff horizontally.

A line appeared in the magic circle Eberheid had cast.

Eberheid's hand exploded, and smoke spread.

"Ugh!"

The erasure of the magic circle.

It is a high-level technique, but according to the books, it is not practical.

In a confrontation between magicians, if the situation allows for erasure, it is faster to cast another spell.

Moreover, if the opponent's incantation is fast, it often fails.

To prevent erasure, the core part of the magic circle is sometimes encrypted to make it difficult to understand.

Eberheid's magic circle was like that.

Since I couldn't grasp the core at all, I had to take a risk and draw a line.

As a result, it didn't completely erase and exploded.

When I faced Noswell before, I once rewrote a magic circle to reverse the direction of the spell, but that was an exception.

For ordinary magicians, the transcription of the magic circle and the incantation take only a moment.

If it is encrypted, there is almost no time to analyze and rewrite it.

"Hi, hi! N, now, you cast a magic circle at me… Lord Eberheid, what are you thinking! I won't let you off easily!"

Weygner fell to the ground and pointed his finger at Eberheid, who was on the other side of the smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Eberheid was far away.

"Indeed, you are excellent, Abel. Stopping my spell like that, even a High Elf could do it only a few. You should be proud."

Eberheid clapped, a smile on his lips.

"…What do you mean?"

I kept my staff pointed at Eberheid and said this.

"The Arrow of God is beyond the reach of the likes of Noks. It belongs to me, a descendant of the Zesum. The lord's soldiers are no longer of use."

"Huh, don't be ridiculous! You! You plotted against me, Weygner!"

Weygner's voice came from behind.

Eberheid, seemingly uninterested in Weygner, did not even look at him.

"To fire the Arrow of God, a corresponding magic stone is needed. With the remaining barrier and my stock, I can only fire three. I will conquer the surface, gather magic stones, and eventually bring the Sky Kingdom under my control. I will literally have everything in this world."

"…Conquer, such a thing…"

Conquer, but in essence, it means plunder with weapons.

To show his power, he will likely use the Arrow of God.

I don't know how powerful it is, but it is clear that many people will die.

Eberheid's hand reached out towards me.

Thinking it was a prelude to a spell, I braced myself.

"Abel, be my right-hand man. In return, I will give you half the world."

Eberheid held out his left palm and declared this.

Maizen, who was next to me, stepped forward and drew his sword.

"Madman! Abel, can you do something about that elf?"

"Wait, wait, Maizen!"

"Surely you don't intend to follow him…"

"E, Eberheid. If you let me go now, I won't say anything. So…"

Eberheid heard my words and snorted.

"Hmph, indeed, your magic is first-rate, but you are just a child. However, facing you head-on will be a challenge."

Eberheid held a magic stone in his hand and raised his arm.

A large magic circle appeared around him.

"Krodhbanputibavashp"

It seemed to be an elf secret technique, as I had never heard such an incantation or seen such a magic circle structure.

Perhaps because he was on guard, the activation from the incantation was faster than before.

Moreover, the distance was too great. It was impossible to interfere with the magic circle and disrupt it now.

In no time, the magic circle emitted a black light and released a dark smoke.

The smoke spread quickly and headed towards us.

The scale was large.

The black smoke completely covered the corridor.

It seemed to be augmented by the magic stone's power.

"Ugh… Hon!"

As I chanted, a world tree-carved otham appeared before me.

It was a teleportation spell.

I embraced the floating otham with both arms.

"Putul Pan"

A magic circle appeared centered on the otham and glowed.

The black smoke was sucked into the otham's mouth.

I tripped Maizen, who was trying to run away, and made him fall.

"Ouch! Abel, what are you…?"

"The area near the otham is the safest! Mia too!"

The black smoke, when it reached us, was sucked into the otham.

However, the part that missed was passing through behind us and quickly engulfed the survey team members and Weygner.

When the black smoke dissipated, only I, Mia, Maizen, and Eberheid were standing.

Weygner and the others were lying down, but they were not dead… I hope.

From the feel of the magic, it didn't seem to be something that would take lives. It was likely a spell to put them to sleep and quickly incapacitate them.