novelraw Chapter 247 : Floating Territory (1)
Chapter 247 : Floating Territory (1)
Flap—
With an urgent report that an unidentified flying object had been spotted in the sky above the camp, Kanna Cartier swept aside the tent flap and went outside.
By the time the rest of the party followed Kanna out of the encampment.
A dark shadow had already fallen over the entire camp, covering every barracks.
It was a situation that defied common sense.
After all, this was a camp established to accommodate a ‘corps-level’ force.
Of course, it was a temporary camp, and to ensure efficient communication, it had been built to be relatively compact. But even so, the total size of the Subjugation Allied Forces’ camp was by no means small enough to be instantly covered by any ordinary aircraft.
Whereas the Veil of the Black Sea was in itself an ‘incomprehensible phenomenon,’ this time it wasn't difficult to grasp the context: ‘a massive flying object cast a shadow over the camp.’
The irony lay in its sheer size.
The clamorous voices of the soldiers could be heard.
“...What is this? It suddenly got dark, so I came out to see…”
“Huh? Isn't this a shadow? Then…”
“Not again, just like last time…”
The development was so similar it triggered a sense of déjà vu from when the Veil of the Black Sea had appeared.
The soldiers, having experienced it once before, sensed the ‘foreboding’ much more quickly this time.
Some Heroes had already donned their gear inside their barracks and were rushing outside.
Swoosh—
The soldiers shielded their eyes as they looked up, pointing their fingers at the unknown flying object positioned directly above the camp.
Likewise, they exchanged words, speculating amongst themselves as to what it could be.
“What in the world is that…”
“...This is beyond ridiculous.”
This time, even the weathered old men of The Order couldn't precisely define what it was.
It was only natural.
In handling the various affairs of The Order, they had seen their fair share of flying objects, but the outrageous size of the one they were witnessing now was a first for both of them.
Neither the largest private airship that traversed the Order Territory, nor the swarms of the Demon King's Army's flying Magical Beast brigades, which boasted the greatest numbers, could compare.
The size of that ‘something in the sky’ was simply incomparable.
It was more like…
Rather than a ‘flying object,’ it looked as if an entire, massive territory had risen into the air.
“A sky island?”
That unfamiliar term, blurted out by one of the soldiers, was the only thing that could even begin to capture the immense scale of the flying object.
Up to that point, the commotion was relatively contained.
The very image of a colossal flying object hovering overhead was enough to incite anxiety, but it was, at the end of the day, just ‘anxiety.’
The camp truly erupted into chaos the moment that mysterious flying object, which had been stationary in the sky, began to slowly descend.
Whoooom—
“W-w-w-whoa!”
“Wh-why is it coming down!”
The flying object began its descent, accompanied by a tremendous sound that echoed off the Orc Mountains.
The soldiers, now showing far more visible agitation, ran about the barracks in disarray.
Before long, the camp was engulfed in the same palpable terror that had gripped it when the Veil of the Black Sea first appeared.
“Archmage! Do we intercept?”
“Intercept with what, you damn blockhead.”
“Gyaaaah!”
“Don't you know the divine magic hasn't been working for a while?”
Among the magic corps, a man clad in the distinctive pale blue robes of an Archmage smacked the back of his subordinate's head.
Normally, for a large-scale operation like this—be it using interception magic as his subordinate suggested, or deploying a defensive magic circle—the magic corps would have been mobilized.
But in the current situation, that was impossible.
The Black Sea was still present behind them, blocking all satellite magic, and as a result, the Priests' divine magic was unusable.
That left the Hero corps, led by Heart de Garçon, as their only hope.
“…”
“…”
“…”
But it was the same story over there; they had no answer either.
No matter how specialized Heroes were at hunting demons or handling large-scale Magical Beasts, this was in a different weight class.
Even if several 5-star Heroes gathered, there was no way they could instantly intercept a rock of that size plummeting from above their heads.
All they could do was helplessly stare up at the descending rock.
Swoosh—
Leonardo Louis Button, who had been silently observing the chaotic situation, turned his head.
His gaze was fixed on U-jin.
“...Mr. Seo U-jin.”
“What is it?”
“...By any chance, do you know anything about the current situation?”
It was a very peculiar scene.
A man of his stature, who held undeniably the highest rank among the High Priests within The Order.
Asking a mere 1-star Hero, who had just shed his Hero candidate title, for a way to break through the present crisis.
Of course, from Leonardo Louis Button's perspective, it was understandable.
To him, U-jin was no longer an ordinary Hero, but the ‘Saintess's proxy.’
He didn't know the details, but the series of events, from the Black Blood Disease to the fortification of the Orc Mountains and the improved black olivine, all seemed to prove that U-jin had indeed received a prophecy from her regarding the ‘Northern Subjugation War.’
…Of course, with the exception of a few parts, it was all a lie.
But that was how Leonardo Louis Button saw it.
Therefore, Louis asked U-jin this time as well.
He thought that perhaps U-jin held the answer to this inexplicable phenomenon before them.
And U-jin’s response to Louis's question was clear.
Nod—
“...I know.”
“...!”
At U-jin’s immediate affirmation, Louis’s eyes glinted with a strange light. Looking up at the flying object, which had descended even further, Louis asked once more.
“Then… how should we respond?”
“Just wait.”
“...Just wait?”
It was a difficult thing to accept.
The flying object was so massive that if it fell here, he could guarantee everyone present would die instantly.
And judging by its speed, the unidentified flying object in the sky above the camp was descending so rapidly that even a 5-star Hero wouldn't be able to escape in time, no matter how fast they tried to flee.
And yet, he was told to just wait.
He didn't think U-jin would say such a thing without reason, but he had no idea how to interpret it.
As if he knew what Louis was thinking.
This time, U-jin asked a question.
“What does that look like to you?”
“Well…”
Trailing off for a moment at U-jin's words, Leonardo Louis Button pondered before answering.
“Isn't it a Meteor Storm?”
“…”
“I have never seen it myself, but unless it is that legendary magic the Messiah was said to have used to smite Magical Beasts in ancient times… its size is incomprehensible.”
Meteor Storm, huh.
With a slight scoff, U-jin shook his head and muttered quietly.
“It’s certainly big.”
It wasn't an entirely wrong guess.
U-jin had also heard of the ‘Meteor Storm,’ described as stars falling from the sky, and it was true that without something of that scale, it would be impossible for such a massive rock to be falling over their camp.
But there were several contradictions in Louis’s assumption.
“Then who do you think cast that Meteor Storm?”
“Well… it would have to be the Demon King's Army, since it was cast on The Order's camp. The Order's army wouldn't cast it on their own camp, would they?”
“Then why would the Demon King's Army wait until now to use it?”
At U-jin’s question, Louis became as quiet as a mouse.
If that was truly a Meteor Storm, there was no reason why the Demon King's Army, possessing such powerful magical capabilities, wouldn't have used it until now.
“If they could do something like that, they probably would have thrown not one, but several. Until we were all definitely dead.”
The only reason the Demon King's Army couldn't do such a thing was that they simply lacked the magical capacity for it.
And one more thing.
“And doesn't something feel off? That a spell of that magnitude was cast, yet no one noticed?”
Even with the Veil of the Black Sea causing massive magical interference, a spell of that level was on a scale that even The Order's corps-level magic division couldn't handle.
It didn't make sense that with such magic being cast, not a single one of the high-ranking Heroes of 4-stars or above, nor the high-ranking Priests of The Order who could be called experts in magic, had detected the flow of mana.
In the first place, if this was truly the work of the Demon King's Army's magic, Isaac Einstein's three preceding traps would have been unnecessary. They could have just smashed this down from the start, and it would have been game over.
In that respect, Louis’s claim that it might be the Demon King's Army's magic was dismissed.
“In that case…!”
Louis’s eyes flashed.
As if he had grasped some hidden intention.
Just as U-jin was about to nod at his expression.
“...It must be a miracle from the Saintess.”
“...?”
A rather strange conclusion popped out of his mouth.
“...How did you even get to that?”
“If it's impossible through magic, then wouldn't it be impossible without a miracle from the Saintess? I believe it is her profound will, having looked upon this sinful human world and decided that salvation is no longer needed.”
“…”
“...Of course, I am prepared to accept it. Compared to the Saintess's noble character, my own inadequate words and deeds certainly deserve judgment.”
“…”
“...I deserve to die. I failed to recognize the messenger sent by the Messiah and sent him straight to the execution block. I pray for the hope of salvation after death for these inadequate humans…”
Louis’s state, getting overly engrossed in the keyword ‘Saintess’ and jumping to his own conclusions, was quite amusing to watch from a step back.
But fearing he might spread his self-made, third-rate doomsday theory to others if left alone, U-jin decided to put a stop to Louis’s delusion.
“...No way.”
“...Pardon?”
“That's not a miracle from the Saintess.”
A look of bewilderment colored Louis’s face.
Instead of adding an explanation, U-jin began to slowly walk toward the central area where the unidentified flying object was descending.
Seeing is believing.
It was better to show him once than to explain every little detail.
“…”
As U-jin took a few steps forward, a sudden gust of wind blew before him.
It wasn't just the wind.
Swoooosh—
As if the wind was merely a prelude.
Something long and slender began to rush toward U-jin from the flying object above. U-jin simply relaxed his arms and looked up at the unknown object.
And less than a second after the rushing sound was heard, a long pole was embedded in the ground in front of U-jin.
Thud—
Compared to the terrifying rushing sound, the landing was rather gentle.
The startling thing about the pole was not its speed.
As U-jin blinked, looking at the pole before him.
“Heheh.”
In an instant, a human figure appeared next to the pole with a familiar voice.
“It's been a while. Let's see…”
Grin—
“My coincidental and lucky friend.”