Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Traces (2)

Thankfully, we found our destination without much trouble.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Though we fumbled a bit with the finer details, the area was vast, with many similar rocky mountains rising up, so everyone just went along with it.

“This is the place.”

“…Master? Isn’t this just a plain cliff?”

Iris blinked her blue eyes as she gazed up at the towering wall of rock.

Despite it being a simple plaza, Iris, with her deep interest in magic, seemed quite fascinated by the idea of a dragon’s legacy.

She even cast a detection spell, just in case, but found nothing and tilted her head in confusion.

Her puzzled look, like a puppy seeing the world for the first time, made me chuckle as I gave a bit more explanation.

“Most dragons set up transfer gates near their lairs that lead inside. But there’s no need to make a big, obvious entrance, right? They hid it to avoid unnecessary hassle.”

“There’s nothing my detection spell picked up, though.”

“Well, you’re still an upper-level magician, but the one who hid this was a dragon that reached the rank of archmage.”

Iris pouted her lips in slight annoyance but nodded in understanding.

Finding her expression cute, I poked her lips with my finger, making her turn her head and let out soft, nasal sounds.

“Hm

I wasn’t sure what she was saying, but since she wasn’t pulling away and was just moving her head, it seemed she didn’t really mind.

While I was teasing Iris for a bit, Helena, standing beside me, pressed close and asked.

“Brother…? Since you knew the entrance was hidden, I assume you also know how to open it, right?”

“Of course. It makes sense that Iris couldn’t detect it because, technically, the entrance was never made.”

Making an entrance and hiding it would mean you’d first have to dig the entrance, carve out the passage leading to the plaza, and then cast a permanent concealment spell over it.

That’s such a tedious and inefficient process. For an entrance they barely use, dragons wouldn’t go through all that trouble.

Dragons, being what they are, would use a much simpler method.

“For example, reciting a specific spell at a specific location could automatically activate a transfer spell and move you inside.”

“Oh! So now you’re going to recite that spell?”

“Exactly.”

Helena clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked up at me with sparkling eyes, brimming with anticipation.

I hadn’t realized it before, but she really seemed to enjoy this kind of thing.

Shrugging at Helena, I glanced up at the cliff.

In the original course of events, after hearing rumors about Fafnir’s lair and searching everywhere, the player eventually discovers that all dragon lairs are in places humans can’t easily access. That’s when they learn about the Dragon Council.

Through ancient documents hidden deep inside certain dungeons and traces left behind by the dragons, players could uncover the code.

Using that code, they could instantly access Fafnir’s lair.

Despite being an annoyingly elaborate questline, the final reward was so underwhelming that it infuriated players… but in hindsight, I’m glad I completed it. It allowed me to skip all these steps and go straight to the results.

“Al Arzi. Dahana. Azdaha.”

It’s some kind of incantation praising their race. I don’t know the exact meaning, but I know it works.

Rumble.

A heavy rumble reverberated around us, and the ground lightly trembled.

And that was it.

There was no faint dizziness like when Iona’s teleportation magic activated, no sparkling magical light.

Suddenly, before we even realized it, the surroundings had changed.

The transfer was so seamless that there was no sense of displacement. Everyone looked confused for a moment, but soon nodded, attributing it to the power of the dragons, and began scanning their surroundings.

The ceiling was incredibly high, despite being inside a mountain. The surface of the ceiling was studded with glowing rocks, providing a soft light.

And the walls… although the lights weren’t very bright, they illuminated the area enough to see all the way to the far end of the cavern.

It was vast. So vast that walking back and forth would be exhausting, requiring the use of magic to traverse such a large space.

Even though the peak we entered was the biggest in the vicinity, I hadn’t expected it to be this big.

It must have some kind of space expansion magic cast over it.

“This place…”

“Oh? I couldn’t sense it outside, but the mana here is quite peculiar.”

“It must be the lingering mana from the transfer gate, just as Master said. Magical artifacts tend to use extremely refined mana for stability, don’t they?”

“That’s right, that’s right. Normally, the effect is so faint that it’s hardly noticeable, but when dealing with high-output magical artifacts, you can sense it right away. If you feel this during a war, you should run immediately!”

Why did she finish that explanation on such a grim note?

Still, it was useful information, so I made a mental note to remember it.

Though my companions marveled at the massive and grandiose plaza, clearly built to match the size of the dragons themselves, the sheer scale quickly lost its novelty.

Before long, Carla, having grown tired, tugged on my sleeve and asked.

“Master, Master. It feels like there’s nothing here. Where do we go?”

“We’re heading to the entrance of the Dragon Council. I know the direction, but it’s far, so we’ll have to fly.”

Everyone here was at least an intermediate magician, so flying magic shouldn’t be a problem.

“Brother? What about me? I could use the power of the Righteous Radiance to run alongside you all at your speed.”

“…I’ll carry you, Helena.”

“I wasn’t hoping for that response, but I won’t decline.”

Helena, looking unsure whether she was embarrassed or happy, wrapped herself in my arms, pressing close.

Squeeze.

The soft sensation pressing against my chest, the comforting warmth, and the faint scent of a woman filled my nose.

Despite having the same body, it felt different from when Solaris possessed her, which made me chuckle involuntarily.

“Why are you laughing, Brother?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Is the Righteous Radiance still busy?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Helena whispered in my ear.

“Actually, she has already returned, but she keeps asking me to switch, so I’ve been pretending not to notice.”

Can a saint really do that?

I looked at her with a bemused expression, but she simply guided my hand to her waist.

“…Tell her not to pout too much, and I’ll let her have her turn next time.”

“She’s listening to everything right now, so I don’t need to relay the message.”

—Hey, it seems like both of you have completely forgotten about me, haven’t you?

A voice and a faint buzzing vibration came from below us. Startled, Helena quickly pulled out the medallion from between her chest and tucked it behind her back.

—I’m really feeling neglected here…

Taking Clara’s grumbling as a signal, we all kicked off the ground and flew into the air.

It didn’t take long to reach the transfer gate.

“Hmm. That was quicker than I expected.”

“Right? It felt like the space was moving along with us as we flew… don’t you agree?”

“It seemed that way to me, too. Maybe it’s a mechanism that responds to intent and assists with movement?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of something like that! Dragons are supposed to be too big to fly naturally, but their overflowing mana responds to their will and makes it possible, right? It’s a form of primal magic, and maybe this is the same kind of thing?”

Iona bounced up and down with one hand raised, her actions causing her ‘vampire pouches’ to jiggle, which made me nod in satisfaction.

All that blood I’ve donated is paying off.

“Well, whatever the mechanics behind it, it was convenient. Anyway, this is the entrance to the Dragon Council and the transfer gates that lead to each elder’s lair.”

I let Helena down and turned my gaze to the structure before us.

At the center was a large, ornate gate, and around it were 100 smaller gates.

The central gate, large enough for dragons to pass through, was intricately decorated with complex shapes and studded with valuable-looking jewels. It was the gate leading to the Dragon Council.

Naturally, that gate had been sealed for 300 years and would likely remain closed forever.

I’d love to dismantle it and take the materials, but doing so would probably trigger an explosion, resulting in a game-over ending.

I’m not sure if that would happen in reality as well, but I have no reason to risk it.

At least not until one of us becomes an archmage.

“We’re not focusing on the big gate, though. What we need to pay attention to are the smaller gates surrounding it.”

“…All of those lead to dragon lairs, Master?”

“More precisely, they lead to the entrances of the lairs. And most of them probably don’t work anymore.”

Unlike the grand entrance of the Dragon Council or the well-maintained internal transfer system, the gates were relatively hastily constructed and quite delicate as magical artifacts.

Back when dragons regularly came and went, they were maintained and repaired without issue. But after 300 years of neglect, they’ve naturally deteriorated.

Many of the gates had either crumbled, as if they had exploded, or were half-melted.

However, there was one exception—Fafnir’s transfer gate.

While the glorious gate of the Dragon Council remained firmly shut, and what was once considered cutting-edge technology had now become relics, Fafnir’s gate still emitted a faint purple glow.

I don’t know why. The reason for Fafnir’s gate being the only one still operational wasn’t revealed in the game.

…Maybe I’ll find out as part of this hidden piece.

Sigh.

I let out a small sigh and reached out toward the legacy left behind by the once-great dragon.

Boom!

???

What was that? I haven’t even touched it yet.