redvbooks Chapter 184 : Enemy (1)
Chapter 184 : Enemy (1)
Chapter 184: Enemy (1)
Dexter searched throughout the mansion, but he could not find Robin and Aelin anywhere.
He could not even find any trace that they had visited Drake’s bedchamber, and anxiety washed over him.
“Did they run off with the Dragon Speech Stone? I didn’t take him for that kind of person.”
The plan had gone completely awry.
He had intended to deal with Robin’s group by putting Drake at the forefront, and while that was happening, loot the place and slip away.
That was why he had given them the Dragon Speech Stone in the first place.
If something went wrong, he had planned to forcibly put them to sleep and leave Nabrash.
But Robin had disappeared before he could even retrieve the precious Dragon Speech Stone.
“Drake will be back soon. I’d better grab what I can and leave.”
“What are you grabbing. Let me know too.”
Dexter froze, his hand sweeping up valuables coming to a halt.
Behind him, Robin appeared with his arms crossed.
“R-Robin! What happened was…….”
“No need to explain. I already know you betrayed us.”
Dexter swallowed his words.
Judging by the injuries scattered across Robin’s body, something must have happened.
“A Demon Tribe was eating humans. Did you know.”
“Th-That…….”
“Don’t tell me you were the one offering humans as sacrifices.”
“…….”
Seeing the look of resignation in his eyes, no answer was necessary.
“I’ll ask just one thing. Did you use the Dragon Speech Stone.”
“It’s right here, so why would I.”
Robin pulled the Dragon Speech Stone from his chest and showed it.
Dexter slowly raised his hand and smiled.
“I see. So you recognized its value.”
“Cut the nonsense. I can’t just let you walk away.”
“Unfortunately… that won’t happen……!”
Click.
At the same time Dexter covered his ears, he pressed the detonator he had been holding.
The Dragon Speech Stone should have shattered and released the Dragon Speech.
But the Dragon Speech Stone in Robin’s hand showed no reaction.
“W-What? Why isn’t it……?”
“You fool. Did you think I’d just leave the detonator alone.”
“You found it? It’s so small it can’t be seen with the naked eye…….”
While Dexter was flustered, an arrow flew in from afar and lodged itself in his leg.
“Ughhhhh!”
Aelin approached Robin’s side and reported the results of her search.
“I don’t see the Fragment of Starlight. This is the only place left.”
“Good work. Dexter, did you hear that? Tell me where the Fragment of Starlight is.”
Clutching his leg, Dexter immediately opened his mouth.
“Over there! It’s in the safe by the bedside!”
“Open it.”
“Only Drake knows the passwo…….”
As Robin moved to draw his sword, Dexter shut his mouth and crawled toward the safe.
As if he sensed his fate, he turned the dial without further complaint.
Click. Click.
With a clank, the safe door opened, and a sparkling light seeped out from inside.
When Dexter moved aside, a thumb-sized shard sat within a transparent container.
“So this is the Fragment of Starlight…….”
“Yes! I did as you said, so please spare me!”
Dexter bowed his head and begged.
Robin did not even pretend to listen and left the room with Aelin.
Left alone, Dexter raised his head, cold sweat dripping down his face.
“D-Did I survive…….”
He did not truly expect to be spared.
It felt as though he had stepped down from a tightrope where his life had hung in the balance.
Limping outside, only the traces of a fierce battle remained.
“Haha… ha…….”
In front of the main gate lay a corpse, its head, arms, and legs severed.
It was someone Dexter knew.
Zakras of the Demon Tribe. The cruel being to whom Dexter had periodically offered humans was dead.
“Robin, was it you who killed him…….”
Dexter could not understand Robin’s actions.
Nabrash did not consist of only District 7.
He did not know the circumstances of the other districts, but there was no guarantee that there were no others cooperating with the Demon Tribe.
And yet to openly display the corpse of a Demon Tribe. It was as if…….
“Are you declaring war…….”
The four adventurers he had thought were prey.
They accomplished their purpose and left like the wind.
Two days had passed since they had caused an uproar at Drake’s mansion.
It was enough time to cross Nabrash and traverse the Burning Desert.
The group moved forward in silence.
After hearing what had happened to each of them, they had judged it best to leave Nabrash as soon as possible.
Before long, they exited the underground city of Nabrash, and after walking for some time, the sandy terrain gradually grew faint.
Aelin, who was walking ahead, stopped and lifted her head to look at the sky.
Countless chunks of land floated in midair.
At the unprecedented sight, Robin, Sigbard, and Aelin were momentarily speechless.
“This is the Floating Archipelago. You brought the Floating Stone, right?”
At Serena’s question, Robin took a stone out of his backpack.
The Floating Stone he had taken as the third-place prize from the arena.
From here on, they would have to use the Floating Stone to move forward.
“The proper method is to build a raft. Let’s split up and gather wood.”
If they built a vessel from materials easily obtained nearby and attached the Floating Stone, it would become a means of transport that could drift through the air.
That was why adventurers heading to an Extreme Region needed a Floating Stone.
“How did you cross when you came alone, Serena?”
“I rode atop a spirit.”
“It’d still be difficult to carry all four of us at once, right?”
“It’s better than before, but should we try.”
Robin vividly remembered the time they had climbed onto the Eagle-Shaped Spirit and had to get down without even managing to take off.
If even the slightest thing went wrong, it would mean immediate death, so Robin shook his head.
The four of them diligently gathered materials for the raft, and soon built one large enough to easily carry ten people.
When they inserted the Floating Stone into the center of the raft, the heavy-looking raft gently rose into the air.
“They’d never believe it if we told the Elves in Evendel about a flying raft.”
“I agree. It’s hard to believe even while watching it.”
Just as Aelin and Sigbard said, flying through the sky and passing over the Uncharted Area stirred a deeply romantic excitement.
Robin felt the childlike wonder he had forgotten in his youth bloom again as he stepped onto the raft.
“Everyone, get on. We should check that there’s no problem.”
When even Sigbard climbed aboard, the lightly floating raft sank slightly.
Even so, it maintained its buoyancy without falling.
“It’s 8 a.m. now, so if we’re quick, we might arrive before sunset.”
“Right. Among the Dangerous Areas, the Floating Archipelago is the least dangerous.”
Preparations were complete.
When he looked at Sigbard, the latter grinned and brought Beivolg to the ground.
Much like rowing a raft, he planted the rod against the ground and pushed with force, and the raft moved forward.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to try ever since coming here.”
“What is it?”
Sigbard cleared his throat and shouted softly,
“Set sail!”
Compared to ships that navigated the sea, the raft was incomparably crude.
Propelled by the force Sigbard generated, it skimmed between the floating islands and sped forward.
There was nothing that could truly be called a steering device, so to change direction, they had to push off against a nearby island as support.
There was far more to pay attention to than when crossing a river on a raft.
“Whew. Still, you get the hang of it as you go.”
“Yeah. It’s pretty fun too.”
Aelin carefully observed their surroundings as they flew through the sky.
Thanks to gliding through midair, they encountered no Monsters.
It would be different if they landed on an island, but since Robin’s group did not stop and simply passed by, it was a peaceful flight.
With nothing particular happening, it was also good for taking turns resting, allowing them to recover their stamina.
At last, they reached the end of the Floating Archipelago, retrieved the Floating Stone, and finally left the Dangerous Area.
“So this is…….”
“Congratulations. You’re all Gold-Ranked Adventurers now.”
At Serena’s words, the fact that they had reached an Extreme Region truly sank in.
An Uncharted Area where one could not find a Guild Rest Stop.
A land known to be impossible for humans to inhabit.
Yet at first glance, it was merely ordinary ground.
Except for being utterly desolate, like the entrance to a Dangerous Area.
“It’s fine for now since we’re at the entrance, but go a little further and you’ll reach the maze.”
“The Maze of Time, right?”
“I’ve never gone that far either. It’d be different if we have the Fragment of Starlight.”
The reason they had gone through hardship in Nabrash and accepted Dexter’s proposal.
To pass through the maze, the Fragment of Starlight was essential.
Countless adventurers had challenged the maze, but not a single one had passed through it without the Fragment of Starlight.
A few had fortunately come out of the maze, but with their minds broken, so it was impossible to know exactly what had happened.
From the records accumulated so far, only one thing had become certain: the Fragment of Starlight was necessary.
“So from here on, it truly is unknown territory.”
“If you get lost, it’s over. Stay sharp. Don’t stray too far from each other.”
“Aelin, do you sense any presence?”
Aelin held her breath for a moment and listened carefully, but the answer was as expected.
“There’s no one near us besides ourselves.”
“It feels like we’ve landed on a deserted island.”
“Honestly, I doubt whether it’s even possible that anyone has passed through this area.”
Robin did not voice it, but he shared Aelin’s thoughts.
Was it truly possible to push forward through a place where neither food nor daily necessities could be supplied?
It was only because they had stored the goods they had stockpiled in Nabrash inside a Spatial Artifact. Otherwise, even for Robin, it would not have been easy to enter.
Quite literally, an Extreme Region where human survival was at its limits.
“We’ve already achieved the objective of this expedition. But don’t you feel tempted?”
“Of course.”
Sigbard tapped Beivolg against the ground.
Aelin, though tense, did not retreat either.
As for Serena, there was no need to even ask.
No matter how arduous and full of danger it was. Even so, they had to go.
It would not be easy to prepare better than this, and everyone was in peak condition.
“Let’s walk for now. Even if we pluck a few blades of grass in front of the maze, that’ll be enough to get promoted to Gold Rank.”
At Serena’s words, Aelin nodded.
Their steady march began, and after about an hour, the sight of enormous mountain ranges rising on both sides gradually came into view.
“I’ll take out the Fragment of Starlight.”
Unlike before, the Fragment of Starlight poured out clusters of light in all directions.
The intense light, strong enough to brightly illuminate the dim surroundings, enveloped the group as if forming a protective barrier.
“Just looking at it, we shouldn’t step outside the range lit by the Fragment of Starlight.”
“That would be best.”
Was an environment inhospitable to humans also the same for Monsters?
Or was it thanks to some special effect contained within the Fragment of Starlight?
They had already walked silently for several hours, yet no Monsters attacked.
The Fragment of Starlight embraced them in its warm light to such an extent that even meeting Dexter felt like a stroke of luck.
“The maze isn’t much after all. We’ll reach the Demon Realm in no time.”
“Serena, we haven’t even passed halfway yet.”
“I’m just amazed. It’s the place that holds the most secrets among the Uncharted Areas.”
The relaxed situation continued enough for them to exchange idle chatter.
Just as they were about to set up camp at a suitable spot and conclude their exploration.
For the first time since entering the Extreme Region, they discovered a moving group.
“Hide.”
The four concealed themselves behind a rock and held their breath, wary as the group approached.
Judging by the increasingly distinct footsteps, there were not many of them.
“…My lord, if you give the order, we will pursue him at once.”
“Was the damage he inflicted severe?”
“Three baronets sustained minor injuries and are currently on standby.”
“That’s enough. Let us continue on our way.”
Even hearing only the voice, an unpleasant revulsion clawed at his brain.
His heart pounded rapidly, and an inexplicable compulsion pressed down on his entire body.
Who is it? I definitely know that voice…….
“Robin, are you okay?”
Aelin whispered as she grabbed his hand.
“Ah…….”
“Robin? You…….”
The pounding of his heart awakened memories from three years ago.
He remembered.
“By the way, there are humans hiding here. There’s no need to be afraid, so come out.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Robin revealed himself.
Purple skin and horns sprouting from his forehead.
And a Demon Tribe exactly as he remembered from three years ago.
“Werther.”
“Hm? You know me? There aren’t many humans who know my name.”
How could he ever forget.
The Demon Tribe who had taken precious people from him in the war.
The reason he had vowed revenge and headed toward the Demon Realm.
“My name is Robin.”
“Robin? It sounds familiar…….”
“The human who will kill you.”
Shing.
Two swords were leveled toward the horned Demon Tribe.
Along with an uncontrollable killing intent.