Chapter 244: Volcanic Zone (1)

It had been two days since they left Vulcan.

Moving faster than expected, the group had reached the vicinity of the Volcanic Zone and were resupplying and resting at a pre-selected waypoint.

On their way back after concluding the Magic Tower investigation, they wouldn’t stop, so they had to replenish various supplies, including fuel, here.

From here on, they might fall under the Magic Tower’s surveillance, so Lennok had also changed his appearance appropriately.

He couldn’t show Evelyn how he altered his mana pattern, but by vaguely concealing his presence with the Nyx Badge, it would be difficult to recognize Lennok.

There was no particular reason to reveal that an Archmage was accompanying them on this journey.

Given that the Blaiver Magic Tower’s exact intentions were unknown, Evelyn judged that overtly revealing their strength would be a bad move.

“There’s someone we’re supposed to meet here. We arrived earlier than expected, so we have no choice but to wait.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“This visit to the Blaiver Magic Tower isn’t simply something the Vulcan city government is doing on its own.”

Evelyn, sitting in front of the pile of firewood, flicked her mana.

Crack!

A spark instantly shot from between her fingers, clung to the dry wood, ignited, and a small campfire was complete.

She tossed the burning firewood into the fireplace of the waypoint lodge and continued.

“If it were just Vulcan pushing unilaterally, they wouldn’t simply accept it. So, we decided to borrow the name of another city as well.”

“Another city?”

“Machina, the Machine City.”

Evelyn replied.

“It’s a customer just as important as the Blaiver Magic Tower’s share in the steel industry, one that greedily consumes manufactured materials.”

Thump, thump!!

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone roughly hammered on the lodge door.

As the resting agent unlocked the door, something heavy and furry tumbled into the room.

Thud!!

From within the dusty fur ball, a raspy voice emerged.

“Wa… water…”

As the trembling thing gasped its last and went limp, a quiet silence fell over the lodge.

Lennok silently turned his head and stared at Evelyn.

“Are you suggesting this fur ball is the envoy from the Machine City?”

“…Let’s revive him first, then think.”

After Lennok roughly cleaned the fur ball with a cleansing spell and the agents brought water, the group could finally get a clear look at the person.

A middle-aged man with an incredibly thick, bushy beard.

He wasn’t particularly short, but his broad, thick build gave him a considerable presence.

“Hmm… Thank you for your help.”

A serious expression and a deep voice to match.

The man, who introduced himself as Mauser, surveyed the group with a much more relaxed demeanor and bowed his head.

“I was terribly rude on our first meeting. I was truly on the verge of dying of thirst.”

“What happened to your companions?”

Evelyn asked with a cold expression.

“I heard Machina’s side would also be moving in groups similar to ours.”

At her words, Mauser scratched his beard vigorously.

Something wriggled out from within his beard, making the agents flinch in disgust, but they held their ground with superhuman patience.

“Hmm, well… I was with my companions until a day ago, but midway, only I was left. I don’t know where things went wrong.”

“Are you seriously saying that now?”

At Evelyn’s completely different, chilling demeanor, compared to how she treated Lennok, Mauser, perhaps feeling an unknown coldness, began to sweat profusely.

“I-I don’t quite remember. I definitely recall going into a strange cave, but after that, I was alone, collapsed in the middle of a grassland. I somehow managed to find my way here by following the night sky, but… I had no food left.”

“Tell me more about the cave.”

At Lennok’s words, Mauser fell into deep thought.

“There were strange glowing stones embedded here and there. Even though I pride myself on having handled many different ores, these were a type I’d never seen before. Out of curiosity, I tried to extract one, but it was stuck fast in the wall. That’s when…”

“That’s when?”

“I think I fainted.”

“…”

Mauser, slightly flinching from the group’s cold stares, said.

“D-Don’t look at me like that. I was just doing my duty as a blacksmith! How could I see a cave like that and not go inside?!”

“It would have been better if you had prioritized our appointment, at least for today…”

Evelyn said that and sighed.

“Do you have any means to track your companions? If not, we’ll proceed to the Magic Tower by ourselves. If we don’t arrive at the appointed time, the Magic Tower might use that as an excuse to refuse our entry.”

“Th-That’s…”

Mauser broke out in a cold sweat but ultimately couldn’t say anything and shut his mouth.

“Perhaps the Blaiver Magic Tower has already recovered and is caring for your companions. I think it would be better to enter the Volcanic Zone first and then consider it.”

“Ah, I understand… Indeed, my other colleagues are also good at reading constellations like me, so finding their way here shouldn’t be difficult.”

Leaving the dejected-looking bearded man, Lennok fell into thought.

‘A cave…’

In this world, full of mysteries and hidden wonders, Lennok’s general knowledge of terrain didn’t apply.

However, it was awkward in many ways that Evelyn was unaware of a cave nearby that could pique the interest of Mauser, an industrial engineer from the Machine City.

Perhaps it was related to the Blaiver Magic Tower’s recent activities.

Evelyn probably suspected something as well, but she seemed to want to avoid delaying their schedule by immediately exploring the cave.

Since this visit itself was a meeting orchestrated by the combined power of two cities, they didn’t want to give the Magic Tower any excuse to refuse the appointment.

It would still be possible to explore the cave after entering the Volcanic Zone, so she must have thought it best to handle the urgent matters first.

“Then, let’s rest for today and enter the Volcanic Zone early tomorrow morning.”

Evelyn said, surveying the group.

“Since a settlement has formed around the Magic Tower within the Volcanic Zone, there won’t be much danger or shortage of supplies. It’s even possible we might find Mr. Mauser’s companions inside.”

“Understood.”

Mauser nodded, then suddenly began to sniff.

“By the way, is there any beer around here? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate a glass for a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“…”

Though he was undoubtedly human, would it be a mistake if Lennok was reminded of a certain race he’d only read about in books?

Ultimately, the group managed to put him to sleep only after finding the supply beer stored in the waypoint warehouse and letting him drink over three barrels.

The agents eyed Mauser, who was passed out, his face red and his hand stroking his belly, with suspicious looks.

“Can we trust that man?”

Evelyn let out a small sigh at the agent’s question.

“Based on the list we verified beforehand, he’s definitely legitimate. He’s the head of the Eyebammer Workshop, well-known even in Machina, the Machine City. He apparently volunteered this time because he wanted to personally inspect the metals produced at Blaiver Magic Tower after a long time.”

“Then the possibility of the Magic Tower orchestrating the disappearance of his companions is low.”

Lennok said.

“The Machine City. And treating the companions of a renowned workshop master from there poorly would incur immense losses.”

“I think so too, but… you never know. This trip is essentially to confirm that.”

“…”

“Let’s call it a day for now and talk again tomorrow. Though I said that, we’ll need to replenish our energy to endure long in the Volcanic Zone.”

Claronis, the Volcanic Zone where the Blaiver Magic Tower is located, is a quite famous area even among the many mysterious natural phenomena near Vulcan.

It’s not easy for active volcanoes, not dormant ones, to gather nearby and form a vast volcanic zone, let alone.

And it certainly wouldn’t be ordinary for the headquarters of a Magic Tower specializing in unique pyro-thermal magic to be located there.

In modern magical academia, where old superstitions and prejudices have faded and theory and empirical evidence prevail, wizards recognize that relying on tools or a master’s power is more efficient than special environments.

Despite this, the Blaiver Magic Tower, which persistently practices magic in a disaster zone of boiling heat, remained one of the most conservative groups, clinging to tradition even in an academia that has become quite flexible recently.

“When it comes to being conservative and clinging to tradition, it’s comparable to the Sinclair Magic Tower.”

Evelyn muttered, gazing at the passing scenery.

Since entering the Volcanic Zone, the group’s chatter had greatly reduced, but she herself still hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat.

The off-road jeep’s speed for climbing the somewhat rough mountain was comfortable, but the air grew increasingly hot as they ascended, making it hard to breathe.

At the base of the Volcanic Zone, even the scattered flowers and bushes gradually disappeared, and now all that was visible were black rocks and a sky filled with ash.

If that were all, even the agents who had trained their bodies with mana wouldn’t have fallen silent, but not many could maintain their composure while watching a river of lava flow right beside their jeep.

Only Lennok sat in the back of the jeep, casually wiggling his fingers.

“However, the Blaiver Magic Tower, particularly its West Continent branch, is highly regarded because instead of being bound by old traditions, it embraced its environment as a weapon and entered the steel industry. This place, capable of handling immense heat, could be called one of the continent’s foremost forges.”

“…”

“Naturally, various transportation and trade routes connect here for the refining of all kinds of rare metals, and the influx of capital continues to grow. Experts say that at this rate, it wouldn’t be impossible for a town to form near the Volcanic Zone…”

As Evelyn continued speaking, she suddenly drew an arrow from her waist and swung it.

Whoosh!!

A green flash shot through the thick rocks and pierced something.

Something that had been charging at the group from behind the rocks lost its power and collapsed, revealing itself.

[Kiiiii…]

A four-legged beast. It resembled a hyena, but its body was made of rock, and hot, lava-like substance flowed in its joints.

The beast, pierced directly through the head, let out a faint death rattle and collapsed, but the liquid that flowed from its body immediately began to burn through the jeep’s tires.

Hiss!!

“…A Lava Beast.”

An agent quickly reversed the jeep to minimize damage, but already more than two tires needed replacing.

“I’ve heard stories of them appearing occasionally in the vicinity of the Volcanic Zone… but this is my first time seeing one in person.”

“Because there aren’t many occasions to traverse the Volcanic Zone bare-handed like this.”

“The problem is, it doesn’t seem to be an occasional appearance.”

[Grrrrr…!!]

The presence of beasts, drooling hot saliva from between large rocks.

And not just one or two, but easily dozens.

“Haa… Let’s deal with them first, then talk.”

The moment Evelyn and the other agents sighed and stood up.

Whooooosh!!!

Suddenly, a pure white wave surged from behind, sweeping away the Lava Beasts charging from the front.

A sharp chill that instantly froze the thick air of the Volcanic Zone.

Before they could even ascertain the source, the monsters engulfed by the wave of cold began to thrash and scream in pain.

[Kieeeeek!!]

Their life signs rapidly vanished and they crumbled, simply from their constantly high internal temperatures being altered.

The wave of cold didn’t stop at the first surge but continued to resonate, spreading throughout the rocky area, instantly clearing a path and removing obstacles.

One of the agents watching the scene muttered with a shocked expression.

“To use such a level of ice magic… in a place without water…”

All eyes turned to the person who had instantly painted the surrounding dark red rocky terrain pure white.

Lennok calmly met their gazes and moved forward.

“Let’s go.”

The items taken from the Cartel executive’s vault weren’t just books about Parden McQueen’s spells.

In Lennok’s hand was a book different from the [Grand Circulation Diagrams] he had seen before.

[Ice Magic for Beginners: Easy to Follow.]

While the title was very straightforward, the title of the book wasn’t that important. What mattered most was the content, wasn’t it?

Thinking that, Lennok, who had discreetly tucked the book into his coat, met Evelyn’s gaze directly.

“…?”

He thought he had hidden it quickly, but it seemed he hadn’t fooled Evelyn’s eyes.

She blinked a few times, then began to stare at Lennok with a slightly bewildered expression.

“…”

All Lennok could do was subtly avert his gaze.