C98
When I encountered an unexpected situation, I felt confused.
"How did this happen?"
Before coming here, I reviewed the content of the novel several times.
From the meteorite's fall and the discovery of high-quality magic stones in an abandoned mine, it was as in the novel. However, it was the first time I saw a transparent wall suddenly blocking the escape route.
"Could it be that the situation is so different from the novel because the meteorite fell early?"
Then Terence stepped forward.
"Wait a moment, excuse me."
Dark red magical power flickered from the sword he unsheathed. Clank! When the sword quickly pierced the transparent wall, a dull sound resonated throughout the mine.
Clank! Clank! Clank! After that, after a few more sounds of massive amounts of magical energy colliding, Terence shook his head and turned around.
"That won't work. It doesn't mean it won't be damaged, but it will be repaired in the blink of an eye."
Vinetta presented her own method.
"Is it impossible for only Ethel-nim to escape?" While striking the barrier with His Highness.
"It's difficult. Instead of the thin wall-shaped barrier we commonly think of, it's closer to a thick mass of magical energy contained in this space."
Terence frowned.
"Even if the front is cleanly cut, there's a high chance the back will be safe. It's a truly ridiculous amount of power."
"...No matter how great a wizard is, I wonder if this is possible. Even if it were possible, it would be an extremely inefficient use of magical power."
His suspicions were quite natural. If reality is not completely different from the novel, the culprit behind this turmoil wouldn't be a simple human.
"A Divine Beast."
In the novel, the entity that blocked Liena's path when she entered the mine was a divine beast dwelling in a meteorite.
Furthermore, it was also the miracle that transformed an ordinary stone into a high-grade magic stone.
Later, it is revealed that the divine beast possesses enormous and unique magical power, and that magical power transforms the surrounding rocks into magic stones.
A phenomenon that can truly be called a miracle.
However, Liena did not obtain such a miraculous magic stone mine for free.
The divine beast gives her a test before recognizing her as the owner of the mine.
That was the reason why the Wallace Count's family, who made a fortune thanks to Liena's sudden luck in her first life, went bankrupt within a few years.
Unlike Liena, they discovered the anomaly in the mine much later after the meteorite fell, and by that time, the divine beast had already gone elsewhere.
As there is no one who can continuously produce magic stones, the magic stones in the mine will soon run out.
"It's not that sad. In any case, those bastards probably wouldn't have shared even a part of their wealth with their daughter."
On the other hand, Liena was very lucky as she intuitively knew in advance that there was something hidden in this mine.
She happened to inspect it after hearing the news that a meteorite had fallen and was even recognized by the divine beast.
But it's strange. In Liena's terrible experience in the novel, there is no mention of being trapped by a transparent wall.
Moreover, the terrible experience expressed in the novel was not particularly difficult.
Liena and her group, who found it, also had some problems but passed through unharmed.
At that time, the people Liena came with were Matisse and Tara. So, I decided that if Terence and Vinetta were with me, they could overcome the tough trial easily.
"Besides, I knew there would be a test, so I carefully packed supplies like artifacts."
So I thought it was an easy victory, but then something like this happened.
Naturally, I felt resentment toward the goddess who thought it was a gift and dropped the meteorite ahead of time.
Looking at the current situation, it seemed that the difficulty of the trial had only increased, but I couldn't understand where the gift was.
But I couldn't just sit and blame others. Solving this problem was now a priority.
"Your Highness, for now, I think we have no choice but to move forward."
"Well, the way back is blocked."
I stood in front of the two people who were in the midst of a discussion.
"Everyone, I have something important to tell you about this situation."
It was no longer time to hide the truth.
As the difficulty of the trial increased, there was no guarantee that all three of us would be safe. In the worst case, their lives might be in danger.
"The being we have to deal with from now on is a divine beast. Unless we defeat the Divine Beast, there is a high probability that we will be trapped here for the rest of our lives."
I was the one who dragged Terence and Vinetta into the mine.
The two were in unknown danger simply because of my fault. Still, I didn't want to deceive them until the end.
"I know it would be hard to believe me if I suddenly said this. A new beast emerged out of nowhere... But it's true."
The voice coming out of my mouth trembled slightly.
I was afraid these two people would be offended. My two favorite people.
"I'll tell you later how I found out about this. After I get out of here. It's a very long story, so it's hard to talk about it now.
If I reveal that I'm a transmigrator, if I claim that this is a novel world.
"Even these two people would still consider me crazy, wouldn't they?"
But even so, I decided to be honest with them. That was my minimal courtesy to those who were in danger because of me.
"I'm sorry. Although I knew this information, I kept my mouth shut..."
"Ethel."
A large hand landed on my shoulder. Thanks to this, I, who had kept my head down all the time, could make eye contact with Terence.
"It's okay. There's no need to act like a criminal."
It was a serious but warm look.
"I came here by my own choice. As a prince, I accepted Ethel's proposal that I would be willing to enter into a cooperative relationship with the royal family of Asteroth if you became the owner of the magic stone mine."
He looked at Vinetta.
"Furthermore, the reason Vinetta came here was on my order to protect you. So, you don't have to feel responsible."
"No. It's my choice too. From the moment I decided to wield the sword, I was prepared to lose my life anytime, anywhere."
Vinetta quickly denied the owner's words.
"Besides, according to what Ethel said, we have to fight the Divine Beast, right? I'm looking forward to it. Isn't this something you could never face normally?"
Her eyes silently burned with fighting spirit, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
It was the most emotional reaction Vinetta had ever shown me.
Terence looked at me and let out a happy voice.
"You saw that, right? You must stop thinking that this situation is entirely your fault."
I was speechless. The current situation was not easy for the two of them. The retreat route was blocked, and there was no choice but to advance toward a being with more magical power than any other existing mage.
However, they told me it was okay. Moreover, Terence's consideration didn't end there.
"And you don't have to tell us how you got that information if you don't want to."
"..."
"I'm curious because it's about my friend, but I don't want to hear it if you make that expression."
"Actually, I'm not that curious."
"...Vinetta said that."
I started to laugh. Curiously, I no longer felt fear.
With these people, it seemed like I could defeat anything, be it a divine beast or whatever.
"So, shall we start the strategic meeting? I'll tell you everything I know about the divine beast."
There wasn't enough time. The reason the divine beast struck the transparent wall was probably an expression of its determination not to let the intruder escape.
"If we linger too long here, we cannot ignore the possibility that the divine beast will come to visit us himself."
Vinetta looked around.
"This place is small and unsuitable for fighting those who wield magic. It's difficult to avoid attack magic, and if you're not careful, the tunnel can collapse and bury you."
"If you go a little further, you'll reach a relatively large place. If my information is correct, the divine beast will also be there."
"We better get there quickly."
But Terence spoke.
"No matter how blindly we go, the fact that we are at a disadvantage doesn't change."
I raised my hand.
"First of all, I know my weaknesses. The divine beast looks like a four-legged beast, but if the geometric pattern on its head is struck correctly, it becomes unable to fight."
"It's easy to do."
"The problem is that it's difficult to get close. It continuously shoots attack magic. Besides, there is a magic barrier protecting the body of the divine beast."
I closed my eyes and used the visualization technique.
The book in my head slowly opened, revealing a scene where Liena and her group fought the Divine Beast.
"This is what I know about the divine beast's attack method."
I ignored the fatigue that came with using my ability and explained in as much detail as possible. Terence pondered a lot after hearing my explanation.
"It's going to be a great fight. In that case, it would be better for Vinetta and me to work together to deal with the divine beast while Ethel stays in a safe place..."
At that moment, a hypothesis came to my mind.
"Terence! Do you still have that magic stone?"
"Yes? Oh, here it is."
The magic stone that Terence had imbued with magical power still shone brightly.
"It was right after we discovered this magic stone that a tremor shook the mine, and a transparent wall appeared, right?"
"Now that I think about it, yes."
"Until then, nothing had happened. Perhaps the Divine Beast noticed the presence of an intruder because we came into contact with this magic stone?"
"That makes sense."
"If we use this well..."
I looked into the backpack I was carrying. In addition to the artifacts I gave to Terence and Vinetta, I brought other things just in case.
Among them, two artifacts, in particular, caught my attention. I looked at the two people, full of tension.
"I have an idea."
---
'Ko-fi o 'Buy Me A Coffe' for Advanc3 Ch4pt3rs
(Up to '20' more ch4pt3rs)
Publication of up to 3 to 4 chapters per week, thank you.
