Early in the morning, Shirone and her group left the villa and requested recovery magic from a mage at the guild.
The basic principle was to stimulate cell activity for natural healing, but the mage didn’t seem particularly skilled.
By the ti Rian and Jis’s wounds had fully healed, it was already noon.
Shirone: "Alright, shall we head out?"
The group, now packed and ready, set out for the ruins.
The ruins were much the sa as when they had last visited.
Long lines of tourists, expressionless natives keeping watch, and the tavern where they had t the rcenaries were bustling with people.
Jis examined the manual Freeman had provided.
Though it contained only brief explanations, Jis, having run errands under Falcoa, could visualize the process.
Jis: "Hmm, I get it. But the smuggling route is different from where you guys went. What should we do? If you want to challenge the Hall of Achievent and Sacrifice first, we’ll need to go left."
Shirone: "So the paths are different? Then let’s check the smuggling route first. Freeman made us a pass, but with Falcoa dead, who knows what might happen?"
Since they weren’t confident about passing the trial gate, securing a reliable route was crucial.
Jis: "Then let’s go right."
Jis led them to a direction opposite the altar where the Hall of Achievent and Sacrifice was located.
There, another altar was guarded by a native dressed in civilized clothing.
Jis stepped forward.
Jis: "Hello."
Native: "Who are you?"
Jis: "We’re from Freeman’s organization. When can we depart?"
The native looked at Jis suspiciously. But after seeing the pass, he quickly explained.
After exchanging a few words in the native language, Jis turned to Shirone.
Jis: "We’ll have to wait for the transport. About an hour."
Shirone: "Huh? Transport?"
Jis: "Probably a minecart. It’s ntioned in the manual Freeman gave us. Anyway, we can’t go in now, so they said to co back when the cart arrives."
Tess looked at her friends.
Tess: "What should we do? Wait here? Or look around sowhere else and co back?"
After a mont of thought, Shirone raised her head.
Shirone: "Let’s go to the trial gate."
Tess: "Now? We’ll probably be able to go soon. What if we miss the cart?"
Shirone: "We’ll be back before then. Actually, I want to check sothing at the trial gate. After what Amy said yesterday, it’s definitely sothing we need to address."
There was no reason not to.
Tess: "Alright. Let’s head east first."
Jis: "I’ll wait here. In case you guys are late, we’ll need a point of contact. Besides, I heard yesterday that if you’re part of the group, you have to take the trial, right?"
Shirone: "Ah, right. Then we’ll leave it to you."
With that decision made, Shirone’s group headed back to the eastern altar.
A native was guarding it, but it wasn’t the sa person as before.
Tess: "Shirone, do you rember the password?"
Shirone: "Yeah. I’ll say it."
Just as Shirone was about to approach the native, a knocking sound ca from inside the altar, as if soone had already entered.
Shirone stopped in her tracks as the native activated a chanism, opening the stone wall.
’There are more challengers than I thought.’
Curious about who had taken the trial, the group waited with interest.
A mont later, the face that appeared made Shirone’s eyes widen.
Shirone: "Huh?"
Amy was equally surprised.
Amy: "What? Why are they here?"
Tess: "What’s wrong, Amy? Are they friends?"
Amy: "Hmph! Friends? They’re enemies!"
Judging by her reaction, it didn’t seem like they were on good terms.
Tess, now even more curious, examined the pair.
They looked like siblings, with similar features. Black hair, black pupils, and pale faces contrasted with their dark aura, giving them a unique presence.
Shirone was stunned.
It was Canis and Arin, disciples of Arcane.
Shirone: "What are you two doing here?"
Canis and Arin also seed surprised, stopping in their tracks, but they quickly masked their emotions and approached.
Canis: "So, you’re here too."
Shirone: "What do you an, ’so’?"
Canis: "Who knows? What do you think?"
Smirking, Canis walked forward, with Arin following behind, her head bowed.
Though she would be a student at the magic school next sester, she was still awkward in social situations.
Arin: "Ah, hello, Shirone?"
Canis shot her a glare.
Realizing her mistake, Arin quickly lowered her hand, but Shirone unexpectedly greeted her warmly.
Shirone: "Yeah, hi. How have you been?"
Arin: "Huh? Uh, just... you know."
Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Canis, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Perhaps because of her strong empathy, she didn’t feel the need to be hostile when the other person was being kind.
Arin: "You’ve been well too..."
Summoning her courage, Arin looked up and noticed Shirone’s aura, her mouth falling open in surprise.
’She’s changed again.’
She had been impressive the first ti they t, but now she was even more striking.
’She’s an amazing person.’
anwhile, Shirone was also deep in thought.
The fact that they had entered the altar and co back out ant that the Angel’s Eye had failed them.
’Canis and Arin failed too. The Maze of Ti and Space isn’t easy.’
Shirone knew better than anyone the level of their magic, having faced them directly.
Above all, their real combat experience surpassed that of the magic school.
’Just how high is the cutoff?’
Amy chid in.
Annoyed by Canis’s smirk, her tone was sharp.
Amy: "Looks like you failed. Well, it’s only natural at your level."
Canis: "Hmph, isn’t it the sa for you? You brag about being from one of the top five schools, but even the graduating class isn’t much."
Amy: "Don’t make laugh! How do you know I failed?"
Canis: "Because I failed. If you knew that, it ans you took the test too. If you had succeeded, you wouldn’t be picking a fight here. Are you stupid?"
Amy: "You brat! How dare you, a re junior, act so cocky! And you’re the one picking a fight!"
Canis: "We just ca out of the altar. Ah, I get it now. My very existence must be a provocation to you. The mory of nearly dying must be coming back to you."
Amy’s eyes narrowed.
ntioning that battle was tantamount to declaring war.
Amy: "You little...!"
As Amy moved to grab Canis by the collar, a shadow rose from behind Canis.
Long, black claws stretched over his shoulder.
Amy reflexively stopped, and Harvester, who had wrapped his arms around Canis, grinned with a torn mouth.
Harvest: "Kukuku! Long ti no see, sis. Your fiery temper hasn’t changed a bit."
A massive shadow rose from the ground, and the tourists scread in terror.
Tourist: "Kyaaah! What is that?!"
Shirone sighed as he watched the crowd scatter in an instant.
Even for nobles accustod to magic, Harvest’s grotesque form was on a completely different level.
Tess was also stunned.
Tess: "Oh my god. The shadow is standing up and talking? Rian, have you ever seen sothing like that?"
Harvest had a small head, impossibly broad shoulders, a waist as slim as a tiger’s, and a humanoid shape, but his arms were twice as long as a human’s, and his palms were as large as shields.
Rian: "No, this is my first ti. But it seems Shirone and Harvest are old acquaintances."
Harvest, with his massive palm covering most of Canis’s torso, spoke.
Harvest: "Let’s both be careful. I don’t want to spill blood in a place like this."
Amy stepped forward again, irritated by his condescending tone, but Shirone cast a spell.
A red light began to swirl across the surface of his body, and Harvest suddenly fell silent.
’Laser.’
The mory of being blown to pieces by that attack during the battle at the Uncrossable Bridge was still vivid.
Shirone was serious.
Shirone: "Apologize to Amy. It’s not good to dig up soone else’s wounds."
Canis didn’t back down either.
Canis: "Wounds? You call that a wound just because of a few words? Typical noble tantrums."
Shirone: "It’s up to the person who’s hurt to decide what’s a wound. If you brought up painful mories, the least you can do is apologize. When are you going to stop looking at the world so cynically?"
Canis: "Stop spouting nonsense. Don’t act like you can lecture just because you beat once. I’m not the sa person I was back then."
As Harvest’s upper body swelled even more, Shirone intensified the red light.
Arin stepped in.
Arin (telepathically): "Sorry, Shirone."
She had no hostility, but if it ca to a fight, she would side with Canis.
Just as her tentacle-like Spirit Zone began to flow toward Shirone, Amy imdiately stepped in front to block it.
Her crimson eyes blocked the ntal-type magic.
Amy: "Where do you think you’re aiming?"
"..."
The situation froze, with the magical creature, the laser, the ntal domination, and the crimson eyes all locked in a stalemate.
No one could make the first move because they couldn’t risk endangering their comrades.
Rian: "Hey, I don’t know who you are, but..."
Just as Rian tried to step forward, Tess quickly pulled him back.
Tess: "Please, read the room. What if you make things worse?"
If the delicate balance of the fight were disrupted, soone would inevitably get hurt.
Rian: "Ugh! Let go! Shirone! Ugh!"
The desperate struggle between the two made the others feel a sense of helplessness.
Harvest (telepathically): "Let’s stop, Canis."
As Harvest shrank in size, Shirone extinguished the laser’s light. Arin’s Spirit Zone disappeared, and Amy’s crimson eyes returned to normal.
Canis: "Let’s stop this pointless fight. We didn’t co here to fight you."
Shirone: "Yeah. What’s the point of fighting among ourselves? We’re all busy."
With the tension diffused, Canis asked the question he’d been curious about from the start.
Canis: "You guys failed, right? So, does that an you’ve found a way to pass this ti?"
Shirone: "Ah, actually..."
Just as Shirone was about to speak, Amy raised her hand to stop him.
Amy: "Why should we tell you?"
This wasn’t about picking a fight.
In a way, this was information they had risked their lives to obtain, and it wasn’t sothing they could casually share with potential competitors.
Canis: "No need to be so guarded. We already know how to get into the autonomous zone. You’re planning to use the Loop smuggling route, right?"
"..."
Amy didn’t show it, but she was surprised. She hadn’t expected them to know about the Parrot rcenaries’ Loop smuggling.
’Wait, but why are they trying to take the test? There must be sothing in the Chamber of Achievent and Sacrifice.’
Canis smirked.
Canis: "I can hear the gears turning in your head. Want to tell you what the test really ans?"
Amy: "Hmph! Who’s curious? We already know enough!"
Canis: "Oh, really? Arin, what do you think?"
Canis turned his head and asked.
Arin, who had been lost in thought, quickly snapped back to attention.
Arin: "Huh? Oh, she’s lying. She’s really curious. Her heart’s pounding like crazy."
Amy gritted her teeth in frustration.
She didn’t know what "pounding like crazy" ant, but hiding her emotions from Arin, who could sense them, was impossible.
Canis: "Haha, now you get it? The pity is on your side..."
Growl.
At that mont, everyone turned their heads.
Arin’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato.
Canis: "Arin, are you okay?"
Arin: "Yeah, sorry. This much hunger is nothing. Back in Radum, it was way worse."
Canis bit his lip.
He had refused Alpheas’s support and tried to survive on his own, but their funds were running dangerously low. They hadn’t eaten in three days.
He could go hungry, but not Arin.
The habit of protecting her for ten years in Radum was still strong, and Canis swallowed his pride.
Canis: "Do you guys have any food? Arin hasn’t eaten in days. I’m fine, but can’t you do sothing?"
Shirone finally took a good look at Canis.
The traces of sleeping and eating on the road were clearly visible on his clothes.
’He said he lost all of Arcane’s inheritance...’
After the ntal pulse test, Canis and Arin hadn’t returned to school.
Thinking about it, making a living must have been a huge problem for them, with no connections or support.
They could have taken on so requests to earn money, but without proper qualifications, most of the jobs available were dirty work.
The fact that they hadn’t done such work gave Shirone hope.
’They’ve changed a little, at least.’
Of course, it wasn’t that Canis had suddenly developed a sense of justice.
He just realized that to climb higher, he had to fight in the light.
Amy: "Let’s get sothing to eat first. There’s a bar we went to before. Their noodles are good."
Arin: "No! I’m really fine!"
Arin waved her hands.
Honestly, she was starving, but she didn’t want to trample on Canis’s pride.
Amy forcibly grabbed Arin’s wrist and pulled her along.
Amy: "Fine, my foot? Your stomach’s growling like thunder. You need energy to fight or do anything. Canis, you’re coming too."
Canis: "I’m fine. Just take Arin."
Amy: "Shut up. If I say co, then co. Even if you’re a hundred tis tougher, hunger is the sa for everyone."
Shirone chid in.
Shirone: "Yeah, Canis. Let’s go in. There are things I want to ask you. We can talk while we eat."
It was a subtle negotiation offer, but Canis had no better excuse.
Canis: "Tch! Lucky bastards."
Reluctantly, Canis followed, and the group entered the bar.
Once the six of them were seated, Shirone introduced Canis and Arin to Rian.
Rian was slightly surprised to hear they were disciples of the Grand Mage, but Amy’s friendly explanation that Shirone had defeated them restored his composure.
Filling their stomachs was the top priority.
Canis and Arin were so hungry that they devoured two bowls of noodles in no ti.
Canis: "Whew, I feel alive now."
After filling his stomach, Canis leaned back and exhaled. Then, as if he had no choice, he spoke.
Canis: "Alright, thanks for the al."
Sharing food was an important signal, even for humans, just like any other animal.
In the now more relaxed atmosphere, Shirone seized the opportunity to speak.
Shirone: "We’ve got a lot on our minds, and so do you. Let’s be honest with each other. Why are you here?"
Arin: "Canis has always dread of becoming an archaeologist. So, we’re here for the ruins exploration."
Shirone: "Ah, so Canis’s dream is to be an archaeologist?"
Canis: "Tch, stop with the nonsense."
Canis responded curtly, but he didn’t tell Arin to stop.
Though lacking in social skills, Arin wasn’t the type to spill everything just because soone asked.
’Good job.’
It was a great answer that concealed the truth while steering the conversation.
’We have to get in.’
In truth, the two hadn’t co to the island just for the romance of archaeology.
They had a firm purpose, and it was sothing worth risking their lives for.
’The problem is the cutoff for the gate is too high.’
Things had seed hopeless before leaving the altar, but now there was a new hope.
’We need Shirone.’
Hiding his true thoughts, Canis asked.
Canis: "Now it’s our turn to ask. Why are you guys here?"
Amy, who was no slouch in psychological warfare, answered without triggering Arin’s sensitivity.
Amy: "Obviously, we’re here to get into the Kergo autonomous zone. Just like you."
Canis raised one corner of his mouth.
Canis: "Do you know what’s there?"
Amy: "Hmm, I wonder, what could it be? By the way, you talk like you know sothing."
Canis: "Maybe I do, maybe I don’t."
Amy: "Hmph, stop bluffing."
Amy’s eyes narrowed like a seagull’s, but inside, she was boiling with frustration.
’He knows. This guy definitely knows.’
As the conversation stalled and began to spiral, Shirone stepped in.
Shirone: "Canis, can’t you just tell us what you know? Honestly, we don’t have much information."
Amy: "Shirone."
Shirone: "It’s fine. It’s the truth."
Amy’s intentions were clear, but Canis held the higher cards. In such cases, it was better to disarm and reassure the other party.
Contrary to expectations, Canis agreed straightforwardly.
Canis: "Alright. But first, I need to confirm sothing."
Shirone: "Ask anything. If I know, I’ll answer."
Canis: "First, the reason you want to go to the autonomous zone. It’s because you want to know about the Maze of Ti, right?"
"..."
Shirone was montarily speechless.
He had suspected it, but hearing it directly was hard to believe.
Shirone: "How do you know that? Do you know about the Maze? No, how much do you know about the Kergo ruins?"
Shirone pressed urgently, but Canis wore a cautious expression and rested his chin on his hand.
Canis: "Hmm. Let’s just say I know more than you do."
Shirone suddenly had a question.
’Is that even possible?’
Based on his own research, the information Canis had access to shouldn’t have been available to soone at his level.
And in less than a month, no less.
’Ah.’
Shirone noticed the shadow at Canis’s feet and suddenly rembered.
The magical creature that had inherited all of Arcane’s knowledge.
Shirone: "Arcane knew about it, didn’t he?"
Hearing Shirone’s words, Amy’s expression also changed.
Arcane, who once ruled the world. As a Grade 3 Grand Mage, it was highly likely he knew deeply about the Kergo ruins.
Shirone and Amy looked at Canis with certainty, but his attitude remained ambiguous.
Canis: "Hmm, if I had to say, half right, half wrong."
Shirone: "Half and half? What do you an?"
Canis chose his words carefully.
It wasn’t that he was stalling, but the secrets tied to the Kergo ruins were far more serious than Shirone imagined.
Amy leaned in sharply.
Amy: "Are you going to keep playing gas? If you’re going to talk, just say it now."
Canis: "I don’t get it. Why do you think that way? You’re not trying to guilt-trip over the al, are you?"
Amy: "Of course that’s part of it. But there’s another reason you’ll have to spill. You need us. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stayed here, right?"
Canis let out a long sigh.
He had expected this, knowing they weren’t fools. But timing was crucial.
Canis: "Fine. To be honest, I need sothing from you too. In that sense, we both need each other."
Shirone: "What do you need? Are you talking about the pass?"
Canis: "Hmph, that kind of thing can be solved easily. If we use ntal magic, we can just pass a piece of paper. Arin’s ability can dominate even the realm of language."
There was a way like that.
Shirone (internally):Now that I think about it...
Shirone realized why Canis and Arin had been able to enter the altar without a translator.
Amy: "But why didn’t you choose the smuggling route? Is it because you have to go through the trial gate?"
This ti, even Canis nodded willingly.
Canis: "That’s the best way. Of course, the second route isn’t impossible, but it’s practically close to it. At any rate, one of us must pass through the trial gate. But as you know, Arin and I failed, which is why we’re asking for your help. In that sense, I’d like to negotiate."
Amy: "Hmm."
Amy analyzed Canis’s words.
Then, suddenly, a strange curiosity arose in her.
Amy: "By the way, how many points did you get?"
Canis: "Huh?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Canis blinked.
Then, he subtly averted his gaze.
Canis: "I don’t want to talk about it."
Amy: "Oh, why? How many did you get? Huh?"
Canis: "Why should I tell you? If you’re so curious, why don’t you tell first? How many points did you get?"
Amy: "No, you go first. Then I’ll tell you."
Canis: "No. You tell ."
Shirone, giving up on listening to their back-and-forth, intervened.
Shirone: "Enough. Let’s just get back to the main topic."
Realizing they were both being childish, Amy and Canis quickly shut their mouths.
Canis, looking more tired than before, continued.
Canis: "Anyway, here’s what I’m proposing. If one of you passes the trial gate—the Chamber of Achievent and Sacrifice—then we can talk again."
Amy frowned.
Amy: "That’s a bit strange, don’t you think?"
Canis: "What is?"
Amy: "You’re only asking for this because you failed, right? If we pass, there’s no need to bring you along. Whatever you know, we’ll find out too. For this deal to work, you’d have to offer sothing more."
It was bold of Canis to suggest an equal deal after his earlier disappointnt, but he didn’t seem to care. The cards he held were that powerful.
Canis: "You might feel that way now. But this ti, you should trust . It’s definitely not a deal where you’ll lose out."
Amy: "Then prove it. You can prove it without revealing the core details. Otherwise, this deal is invalid. We can’t be used by you without knowing the full story."
Canis glanced at Arin, gauging her thoughts. This wasn’t sothing he could decide alone.
Arin: "Tell them, Canis. Building trust is important. And besides... they even bought us food."
A few bowls of noodles weren’t that expensive, but to soone starving, they were priceless.
Realizing the aning behind her words, Canis clicked his tongue and spoke.
Canis: "Fine. I’ll tell you this much. You guys said you’re going to the autonomous region to learn about the labyrinth, right? That you’ll do whatever it takes to get there, no matter what’s waiting for you?"
Shirone was firm.
Shirone: "Yes. We absolutely want to know about the labyrinth."
Canis: "Then..."
Canis leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and spoke with a serious expression.
Canis: "I might be able to save your lives."
Silence fell.
Even though nothing had been clearly revealed yet, Shirone’s heart began to pound.
Shirone (internally):Save us? What kind of secret exists in the Kergo autonomous region that would make him say sothing like that?
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