SWNOVELXO Chapter 377
Hoo. Well, it seems we’re not too late after all.
I let out a sigh of relief as I surveyed the tense situation around us.
Just how vast is this underground space?
The underground area of Eldriksir Mansion was so expansive it could rival the size of the village above ground.
On top of that, its complex layout resembled a labyrinth, not just due to the convoluted paths, but also filled with various mechanisms that could alter the maze-like structure as we moved through it.
Of course, no matter how wide or changing the underground space was, tracking and navigation were the domain of hunters. Among our group was Arisa, a master tracker, so finding our way shouldn’t be overly difficult.
Honestly, a simpler approach would just be to disregard the walls and charge forward.
After all, it’s not like this is my home.
So we smashed through walls, searching for signs of life, and eventually, we arrived at our target.
“Hmm. A patient looking disheveled and wearing glasses, giving off a friendly vibe. You must be Joyra Eldriksir?”
That means the two unconscious figures beside her are the Sisters of the Holy Kingdom that the village chief mentioned.
I’m not sure about the severity of their injuries, but thankfully, it seems they haven’t lost their lives.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected them to be alive, so it’s a pleasant surprise.
“Kugh…! Another nuisance. The chief certainly knows how to gather people in this rural village. But it doesn’t matter whether you increase your numbers or not!”
Taken aback by our sudden appearance, Joyra realized the situation to some extent and immediately summoned her magic, unleashing beams of white light towards us in a threatening manner.
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“Kuhhh…! Ten is a bit excessive…”
After a brief pause, the battle concluded and Joyra groaned in frustration.
“No, of course, it’s excessive. The numbers are just different.”
Despite being a powerful mage, even she couldn’t typically withstand this numerical disadvantage.
But, well…
Still, it couldn’t be said that her earlier boast about her abilities was completely false.
At least, it became clear why the Sisters of the Holy Kingdom who went in before us were defeated.
I had heard they lacked battle experience, but their remarkable composure and quick spellcasting were at a level not typical of beginners.
With Charles using his shield to block Joyra’s spells while Karina and Aila launched relentless attacks, and Mari and Arisa raining down arrows and daggers, even despite Serena and Liche’s magical shielding being shattered at once, it was only after I landed the finishing blow that we succeeded in subduing her.
If I hadn’t been there, even with over ten people, it wouldn’t have been so easy to take her down.
Once the battle ended, we tied up the thoroughly subdued Joyra and checked on the Sisters of the Holy Kingdom who were lying on the ground.
Though they seemed unable to regain their footing properly, they at least didn’t appear to be in critical danger, and they expressed their gratitude to us.
“Azani. Nisa. Are you okay!?”
“Th-thank you…”
“Kugh…! I’ve received help… Wait, how do you know our names…? Aila!? But more importantly, what the hell have you been up to?!”
“Why are you here!?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything once we free the kidnapped villagers.”
“You have to explain everything in detail!”
“Alright! First, we should get the villagers above ground and discuss things then.”
Seeing Aila reuniting with the Sisters of the Holy Kingdom, they seemed excited to meet her.
“Can you walk?”
“No. I’m sorry, but I was hit directly by the mage’s spell, so I can’t move my body as I wish. It seems the magic paralyzes the body rather than causing actual injury…”
“I’ve never seen such magic before. But don’t worry. I’ve faced this kind of magic before in battle, and the effect usually ends after several minutes.”
Thanks to Charles, the magic golem, absorbing all the spells at the forefront, we suffered minimal damage, but the two Sisters were in no such state, and we waited for their condition to improve.
Not wanting to waste time, we decided to ask Aila about the whereabouts of the abducted villagers.
“By the way, do you know where the kidnapped villagers are?”
“Honestly, during the battle with the mage, I was too busy escaping to keep track of the villagers. Plus, the layout of this underground space keeps changing…”
“Nisa! It’s not escaping; it was a tactical retreat! If we had enough members, we wouldn’t have needed to retreat to begin with! In fact, it’s impressive that you two bought enough time to wait for our arrival!”
“I-I didn’t say anything specifically! But did you both not find out where the villagers are…?”
“No. That’s not true. Although we were constantly fleeing…I mean, retreating, we remembered a few spots we sort of guessed after wandering for several days in this underground space.”
“Oh? That’s a relief. Just as I thought, Azani.”
“Yeah! I’m better than Daria! Just give me more praise! Now that the effects of that magic are mostly gone, how about we try moving a bit?”
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like we needed to scour this underground space.
While the two hadn’t defeated Joyra, the information they had gathered wasn’t worthless at all.
At this rate, the trip to the Holy Kingdom shouldn’t be too delayed.
“Well, if push comes to shove, we can interrogate the subdued mage. Let’s move out.”
I just hope the kidnapped villagers are safe.
Thinking this as we finished our post-battle rest and prepared to explore the underground space again—
“The mage is in my possession… huh?”
Kiiiiiing!
In an instant, a bright white light filled the chamber.
“Hehehe, you’ve let your guard down thinking I’d been subdued.”
Joyra suddenly freed herself from her restraints and cast her magic, quickly turning to flee.
“How could she use magic when I had her restrained!?”
“No—the underground space itself is assisting her magic. So that’s why her casting speed was abnormally fast…!”
“Ugh! If only Daria were here, I wouldn’t have made such a blunder!”
“Hey! Why are you bringing up that girl’s name now?!”
“Ah! The effect was just about to wear off…!”
Joyra made her escape, leaving everyone behind who couldn’t move and growled in frustration.
We couldn’t understand why she ignored our immobility and ran away, but first, we had to grasp this magic’s effects.
A body that won’t move.
It wasn’t just that I felt heavy or that my strength had left me.
It felt as though all sensation in my body had vanished.
Confirming that I had indeed been affected by the magic, I immediately circulated my mana to check my physical condition.
After circulating my mana, I quickly grasped the magic’s mechanics.
The spell’s effect didn’t paralyze or restrain the body but rather blocked the signal transmission of the nervous system from reaching the brain.
Originally, this magic was likely designed to paralyze a patient’s nerves for surgical purposes.
Indeed, they mentioned conducting a study to blend medicine with magic…!
But there wasn’t time to marvel at Joyra’s magic right now.
What I needed to prioritize was to track down and re-subdue Joyra and rescue the villagers.
Other magic wouldn’t matter, but when it came to magic affecting the body, I could handle it.
Though I might be a novice when it came to magic, no one here could outdo me when it came to adjusting the state of my own body.
I immediately circulated my mana again to wash away the mana interfering with the signals of my nervous system.
Whether it was effective or not, the spell that should have lasted around tens of minutes faded away in an instant, and I assisted my companions who were also rendered immobile by Joyra’s magic.
A moment later, the effects of the magic faded, and we began to pursue the fleeing Joyra.
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“Hoo… That’s enough, Joyra Eldriksir.”
“…You’ve broken the spell’s effect faster than I thought. I never imagined you’d make it here so quickly.”
“Once I understood the magic’s mechanics, escaping was simple. Just lightly enveloping the nervous system with mana rendered it ineffective.”
“I see… That means even if I try to use it again, it won’t have any effect.”
“By the way, this magic wasn’t originally meant for combat, was it?”
“Yes, that’s correct. This spell was originally developed while I studied medicine to treat people.”
Despite being a fleeing Joyra, it didn’t take long to catch up with her.
Washing away the immobilization effects didn’t take long if you knew how, and since mana users can dispel the effects themselves, the few minutes it took for us to resume our pursuit was nothing.
The place where Joyra ran was a massive secret chamber that stood out distinctly from the other maze-like spaces.
Inside, numerous magical tools that looked suspicious were lined up.
This place had to be the core of controlling this underground space.
The fact that she chose to flee to such a pivotal facility meant that Joyra truly felt cornered.
“Cough…! Cough! I overdid it, and now my body…”
My assumptions were right as I coughed up blood and hastily grabbed what looked like medicine from a box.
After quickly consuming the medicine, Joyra sighed and, seeming to realize that continuing the fight had no chance of success, spoke calmly to us.
“Haa… haa… By the way, don’t you all find it curious?”
Her tone was oddly light, as if resigned but strangely relieved.
…It seems she doesn’t intend to engage in another round.
“What do you mean?”
“In a small village deep in the quiet woods, without any special dreams or ambitions, what made me suddenly cause such an incident?”
“Well, the village chief told me. You went mad studying artifacts of the Ancient Empire.”
In response, Joyra smiled wryly.
“Actually, it’s a bit different from that… but the chief’s words aren’t entirely wrong.”
“Hmph. It’s a common tale of a mage who went feral after obtaining the massive power of the Ancient Empire.”
It seemed Azani disapproved of Joyra’s aloof demeanor and scoffed at her.
But she continued speaking with her calm smile despite Azani’s cold attitude.
“Truth is, the artifact I obtained didn’t significantly help me blend medicine with magic. Maybe I handled the magical tool too roughly; it’s completely broken and long lost its functionality and diverged from the field I was researching. However, it wasn’t entirely worthless.
Did you know this underground space was sealed until recently? It was a place even I, as the last descendant of my family, could not access. Since childhood, I’ve been curious about what’s hidden under this mansion, but my parents never told me what was beneath, even until their passing. One day, I realized the function of this artifact I stumbled upon was likely the same as what sealed this mansion’s underground. It was magic that isolates spaces from each other.
Driven by my curiosity about the secrets hidden in this underground space since childhood, I disassembled the artifact and reverse-engineered its sealing method, and soon after, I was able to lift the seal from the underground space.
And then I discovered something.”
Despite coughing up blood, Joyra continued speaking as if unable to stop.
Clearly, her condition was close to dire, yet the quiet confidence she exuded compelled us to listen silently, and once she paused, I quietly asked her:
“…What did you discover?”
“The truth of the Ancient Empire.”
With that, Joyra manipulated an artifact beside her, projecting a magic-imbued apparition into the space between us.
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