EP.128 Business Trip to Watsuo, It’s a Nightmare(2)
The people of the North always pursue practicality, simplicity, and brevity. The place that best reflects such values is the Royal Quarters of the White Night Castle.
The Royal Quarters located on the way to the White Night Castle.
A reception area created to welcome distinguished guests.
This place is not your ordinary royal quarters. To put it nicely, it has no embellishments; to put it bluntly, it is desolate. The reception area has only the bare minimum—a couple of sofas for conversation.
“Just two sofas set in an enormous room.”
It’s an atmosphere that could bring upon awkwardness even if there wasn’t any before. There is one figure who must prepare to greet guests in this unbearably desolate royal quarters.
Master of the White Tower, Selly Devela.
“Huff.”
She wipes the sweat from her forehead and takes a quick glance around the royal quarters. It has been decorated by her own hands for the past few days.
“Of course, it would have been faster and easier if I had just ordered the subordinates to do it…”
But that wouldn’t do.
In order to leave a strong first impression on the distinguished guest she would meet here, who would significantly contribute to the future development of the White Tower, it was necessary to create a striking first impression.
“Anything’s important as a first impression, hmm. Of course.”
Unfortunately, she failed to leave a good first impression in the royal capital. Therefore, leaving a positive impression in the North was absolutely crucial. That was of utmost importance.
And important matters should be handled personally. That way, there would be no regrets. The result is exactly what Selly is observing now in the royal quarters.
High-quality mana stones adorned the quarters.
Jewelry created from alchemy after a long time.
Luxurious furniture brought at a high cost from skilled artisans.
Even compared to the reception area of the royal family, it does not fall short at all. The satisfaction was doubled as she decorated it with her own hands. Selly nodded her head repeatedly with a smile of satisfaction.
“Still not dead, Selly Devela.”
As someone who is the Master of the Tower, engaging in such mundane tasks brings mixed feelings, but this effort was worth it.
“Rania van Trias.”
To recruit such a talented girl, she could endure this much effort.
“It’s a perfect plan.”
Selly leaned her cup of tea. It was coffee she had brought from a café Rania frequently visited in the royal capital. Savoring the rich aroma of coffee, Selly nodded her head.
“Before she visits the White Night Castle, I need to perform a ‘welcoming greeting’, so… the warriors’ test won’t be easy.”
Many warriors have tried to pass the test up to now.
Only a handful of them managed to succeed.
The tests for warriors in the North are rough.
The raw nature of the tests is unfamiliar to those accustomed to the tranquility and rules of the royal capital. Strangeness leads to confusion; confusion leads to failure.
“Moreover, it is more a test for warriors than for mages.”
Mages have their own distinct values.
“Mages should naturally prove their worth through magic.”
It’s nonsensical to judge a mage’s value using the crude methods of warriors. Therefore, the path for that capable girl is already set.
“She’ll come right here.”
Everything is going according to plan.
She will exchange a few words with the girl who comes here and then send her straight to the White Night Castle. There’s no need for a test. She already knows the girl’s worth very well.
“And I must leave a good impression before sending her up!”
It’s truly a perfect plan.
By leaving a positive first impression and allowing her to pass the difficult test “easily,” she creates a sort of debt. A plan to catch two rabbits at once.
“Hehe.”
The door to the reception area will open soon.
Staring at the door, Selly smiled—a smile full of the ease of a victor.
2.
The road to the White Night Castle is far from smooth. The raw snow-capped mountains act as a fortress by themselves. The great warrior who claimed the White Night Castle after climbing this road is the founder of the Grace Family.
Now, the path leading to the White Night Castle has been maintained, and the snow-capped mountains have become a hunting ground for warriors, but… at least not today.
“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a test.”
The maintained path has been closed off.
The warriors scattered across the snow-capped mountains take only on the role of “supervisors” for the test. For today, none will assist anyone trying to climb the mountains.
At either end of the snow-capped mountain.
On the western end stands Rania, and on the eastern end stands Lac. They begin climbing the mountain at the signal of the warrior.
“Hmm.”
The overall supervisor of the test, Oyakal, perched on the highest tree, observed Rania’s movements. He did not cast a glance toward Lac.
“No need to worry about the young master.”
For the young master, the snow-capped mountains are akin to a front yard. Naturally gifted with the temperament of a top-tier warrior, the young master would climb the snowy mountains with ease. The problem lies with the guest.
“…A girl from an ordinary noble family.”
Oyakal is a warrior who can differentiate at least a little.
Simply being good at fighting wouldn’t qualify one among the “twelve warriors” under the Duke.
“In case of an emergency, I should consider intervening.”
Oyakal was watching the girl to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. He narrowed his eyes. His bulging eyes were bloodshot. Then, Oyakal’s vision expanded.
The Duke’s twelve warriors.
Those called warriors each have at least one specialization. In Oyakal’s case, it’s his vision.
The hawk’s eye, Oyakal.
The sight of Oyakal, known as such, accurately captured the figure of the girl in the distance.
And then, it happened.
Swish.
While walking forward, the girl suddenly turned her head.
It looked like she was chasing something. As she scanned her surroundings, she tilted her head upward at an angle.
That gaze connected with Oyakal.
The distance between them was far. But being termed the hawk’s eye, Oyakal could see it from that distance. However, the girl’s gaze was precisely directed toward where Oyakal was perched. There was no wavering in those eyes.
Bluish eyes.
Like those of a predator stalking its prey.
A shiver ran down Oyakal’s spine. Sensing an aura, he swallowed hard and flinched.
“…No way.”
Did she see him from this distance?
In the moment inquiry crossed Oyakal’s mind, the girl turned her head again. She resumed climbing the snow-capped mountain.
“……..”
Oyakal silently watched the girl.
“There’s something.”
What he sees is not all there is.
Curiosity lingered in Oyakal’s eyes.
*
“What is she glaring at?”
The gaze was incredibly unwelcome.
Raniel lowered her arm, which she had almost raised to snap her fingers.
“It doesn’t seem like their goal is to attack the warriors.”
A sense of presence could be felt.
Yet, they only seemed to watch over her, having no intention to block her path. It did not seem necessary to cast a spell immediately.
“Hmm.”
Now fiddling with her lips, Raniel moved forward.
Crunch, as her footsteps left prints on the snowy ground. Moments later, she uttered a short spell.
Silence.
Light-weight.
Her footprints no longer marked the snow.
Raniel began to walk without a sound. Such snow-capped mountains were not unfamiliar to her. During operations on the Western Front, she had rolled around in the snow with her shirt off.
“Technically, it was torn.”
An ancient lich installed altars across the snow-capped mountains.
To dismantle the altars one by one, she must have rummaged through the snow as if hunting mice. There were times she got caught in traps that left her clothes torn.
“Damn cursed lich.”
Reluctantly, she admitted but… there were many areas where she had grown due to that lich. Discovering traps, expanding her vision, enhancing mana sensitivity, and so forth.
“A good… training material.”
Especially, the dungeon created by Skebal was quite helpful. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw students into dungeons to let them learn. With such thoughts, Raniel moved onward.
“……..”
How many steps had she taken?
“Oh…”
Unconsciously, Raniel halted her steps.
It was a path between trees. At first glance, it appeared ordinary, but to Raniel’s eyes, it shone.
“This must explode if stepped on?”
It wasn’t a trap created by magic.
A trap crafted by hand, resembling one made for hunting animals, but… the gaps of the trap were visible to Raniel’s sight. She understood how it worked.
She lightly tapped the trap with her toes.
Zop!
Snowflakes erupted, and the net hidden beneath the snow spread open. A sturdy net connected by wires would be hard to escape if caught in it.
“Oh.”
Raniel snapped her fingers.
Smite.
ZzzZZZZZAAAAAACK! The net was ripped apart in a straight line. Raniel crouched down to pick up the torn pieces of the net.
“Ohhh…”
She examined the torn net with great satisfaction.
“I will definitely make good use of this.”
…She never loses the attitude of learning anywhere.
It is the essence of being a mage and the shortcut to growth. Analyzing the test that the Northern warriors painstakingly prepared, Raniel moved onward.
She did not forget to keep the torn net with her.
3.
Blink.
Oyakal closed and opened his eyes.
He rubbed them and thought perhaps his vision was deceiving him, blinking repeatedly. But nothing changed.
“What… is happening?”
With a baffled expression, Oyakal watched the girl climbing the snow-capped mountains. The moment their eyes first met, he felt the girl’s extraordinary prowess. He was amazed as she climbed the mountain, erased of any presence or footprints.
“She’s skilled in the snow-capped mountains. The movements of a warrior who has been through real battles. What I see isn’t all there is.”
Having changed his judgment about the girl in those initial moments, now Oyakal only felt confusion.
“What the heck… is going on?”
There were traps laid throughout the snow-covered mountains.
The girl seemed to pierce through the fact that traps existed there. Yet, she did not leap over them.
She merely tapped the trap lightly with her toe.
Seeing the trap trigger made him exclaim, “Oh,” in wonder.
Zop!
Then, she tore it apart.
Rather than the girl taking a test, it felt as if they were the ones being tested by her…!
“Is this… right?”
Oyakal felt flustered.
For someone who had supervised tests for a long time, such a situation was unprecedented. He had no idea how to respond.
“Should I maybe… fix the traps?”
Oyakal climbed down from the tree.
Then, he paced toward the traps in anticipation of the girl’s direction.
“They were traps laid with care.”
Since he couldn’t let the guest get hurt, he designed the traps to minimize lethality, only using nets. He even loosely tied the ropes to lessen the dangers.
“It doesn’t seem like this is the time to think about that…”
Even with the best of construction, he doubted he could elicit any tension from that guest. Oyakal stood with a bitter smile at the position where he laid the traps.
Swish.
Drawing his sword from his waist, he cut the ropes of the trap and re-tied them. This time, he tied them very tightly. The speed at which the trap would activate should double.
“Oops.”
As soon as he stood up after repairing the trap…
“…Uh.”
Oyakal met the girl’s gaze from across. He didn’t know how she had reached this point, but she was staring at him. Oyakal followed her gaze down to his own hands.
“…My hand.”
Her gaze was directed at Oyakal’s hand.
In Oyakal’s hand, a sword was held.
“Oh, this is where the duel with the warrior begins…”
The girl nodded slightly, as if in agreement.
Finally seeming to understand the situation, she began to move forward. To Oyakal, it looked like a misunderstanding.
“No, that’s…”
That’s a misunderstanding.
Just as he attempted to clarify the misunderstanding…
Oyakal fell silent as he watched the girl approaching him.
“An unmeasurable opponent.”
A gaze like that of a predator.
A being possessing something beyond what is visible.
“So, an intriguing presence.”
Oyakal gulped, swallowing dry.
He would not refuse a fight that presented itself. Even if it stemmed from a misunderstanding… it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to spar with such an interesting opponent.
Warriors of the North are beings who challenge the unknown.
This is why they are called warriors.
Thud, thud.
Twisting her wrist, the girl approached.
Oyakal lowered his sword as he readied his stance. The opponent was unarmed. It was only right to respond without a weapon.
“Come at me.”
Oyakal beckoned with a finger extended forward.
The girl smiled. She looked incredibly delighted. She took a light step forward.
It was light. A light step.
There was no strength behind it, and it wasn’t fast.
Considering her posture, there didn’t seem to be any power there. Oyakal’s mind was flooded with dozens of methods to overthrow her. There were that many openings.
But somehow…
“I can’t get close.”
Gulp, Oyakal swallowed hard.
While she appeared to have many openings, he couldn’t bridge the gap. His heightened instincts warned him. If he approached carelessly, he would simply be smashed into the ground.
And instinct became reality.
As the girl approached, she extended her arm. Oyakal tried to brush it away. But he couldn’t.
The girl’s hand grasped Oyakal by the collar.
“What strength…?”
There wasn’t a moment to be surprised.
His feet were caught. His body floated. The sensation of levitation only lasted a moment. His view flipped rapidly.
Oyakal saw.
“A throw? A trip? Am I caught?”
It was a movement he could not comprehend, even upon seeing it.
Without fully grasping it, Oyakal’s head crashed down into the snow. His bones reverberated with a crack and screamed.
“It’s snow, so it should be fine…?”
That was the last thing Oyakal heard.
BANG!
With a thud, Oyakal’s sight faded into darkness.
*
“Cough!”
Oyakal raised his head.
Was he buried in the snow? Upon lifting his head, fresh white snow poured down. His mouth was stuffed with it.
“Ugh.”
His lower back throbbed.
His head was dizzy, and his neck cracked. Oyakal groaned as he rose. As he tried to recall memories, he surveyed his surroundings.
“……”
Oyakal fell silent.
“Ugh, cough…”
“I can’t hear… my ears…”
“My arms, my arms…”
Warriors were buried in the snow.
Their groans filled the snow-capped mountains.
“Uh…”
Broken weapons lay scattered on the ground.
Some axes were shattered and embedded into trees. There were also warriors caught in traps. But far more warriors lay buried in the snow.
“What on earth…”
Oyakal pulled up one of the warriors stuck in the snow. He slapped the warrior’s cheeks to awaken him, then asked.
“What happened while I was out?”
The warrior responded to the question.
“Fearful and deep…”
He said in a terrified voice.
A beast-like warrior was quivering in fear. The entity that had so instilled fear into the warrior had passed through here.
What is that entity?
“…A nightmare passed.”
The words made no sense.
Author’s Note (Postscript)
Lately, an enigmatic skeleton organization has been keeping a close eye on me.
They throw coins while whispering an unmistakable message into my ear.
“For the greatness of Skebal.”
“For the great Skebal.”
“We are always watching over you.”
It’s terrifying to think that there are so many followers of Skebal…
