Chapter 125: Preparing for an Exciting Exploration (2)
Arabella initially reacted in disbelief.
“Are you really going to cause an incident?”
“Yup. I’m going to cause one.”
“…”
She looked at us in befuddlement. We had come rushing in and immediately handed her a mana wave analysis device, much to her confusion.
“…Well, I’m not in a position to tell you off.” Arabella seemed to be reminiscing about her glorious academy days.
True. We hadn’t even reached the tip of the iceberg, compared to her. She had opened a teleportation gate during a festival and moved an entire space to the North.
First, Ernest came forward as a representative and gave a brief explanation.
“Hmm… There’s a building in the restricted area designed by Saul Hangston, and mana waves were recorded there? When there shouldn’t have been any?”
“Yes!”
“That’s interesting. Alright.” Arabella was an inventor. so she was always interested in new things.
“This wave is interesting. Who recorded it?” she asked.
“M-me!”
Ernest, who had been confidently talking about going on an expedition, was very nervous in front of Arabella. If you thought about it, she was just my older sister to me, but in front of the others, she was an amazing person.
She was the greatest talent in the history of the Magic Department, and her works were currently being used throughout the Empire. She had even been nominated for the Empire’s highest honor before reaching thirty.
“Hmm. You? The one good at exploration? Ernest Dylan, right?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“That’s amazing. To think that you even know how to use a mana wave analyzer at your age. It’s not like you can collect waves just by turning it on.”
Ernest felt as if he could fly at my sister’s praise.
‘Punk. I keep telling him that he’s definitely talented.’
“Well, I think it might require some analysis.”
“How long will it take?” Leila asked.
In response to Leila’s question, Arabella thought for a moment and then held up three fingers. “Three days? That’s pretty quick.”
Arabella frowned and asked, “What are you talking about? Three days? Thirty minutes is enough.”
“What?”
Everyone was surprised. I was a little surprised, too. I didn’t have detailed knowledge of mana waves, but I knew that it wasn’t an easy task.
However, the one who was doing the analyzing was Arabella.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this trait, but I can draw conclusions by comparing it to similar traits. Although I’m not sure, I can roughly guess the source of this wave. Sit down and wait. Don’t touch anything.”
“Yes!”
As soon as Arabella went inside, Priscilla muttered blankly, “Your sister is really cool…”
I think Leila said that, too.
“If I had a talent for magic, I would definitely have chosen her as my role model.”
“That’s right. Me too.”
It felt like my shoulders were going to soar to the sky in pride.
Less than thirty minutes later, Arabella came out. Judging by her expression, I was sure she had figured something out.
“Shall we gather here?”
Arabella spread out her analysis materials on a desk in the center of the lab, and we gathered around that desk.
“First, let me get to the point. Ernest? Your guess was right. There’s definitely something inside.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And it’s something big.” Arabella pointed to the materials. “These waves here are similar to the waves you collected, Ernest. Of course, they don’t all match. So, except for the ones that are a little ambiguous…”
Leila and Priscilla look dazed at the following explanation. It seemed they couldn’t understand.
However, when Arabella finally reached the conclusion, she said something that was easy to understand.
“Conclusion: there is something big inside.”
“Something big?”
“Yes. This type of wave comes from an object that holds a lot of mana. Usually. You said you barely managed to collect the wave, right? I think whatever it was, it was trying to hide its mana.”
Arabella also added an interpretation. “Of course, we don’t know if it was Saul Hangston who was trying to hide it… or if it was someone else.”
That meant一
“I don’t know what it is, but there is something inside, and it is trying to hide this mana wave.”
“Yes. Basically, that’s right. Um… As far as I know, there’s no one in that place.”
“Did you recognize it, Arabella?”
“In the past, I also used to go in and out of restricted areas when I was bored. Well, if I had a professional friend like Ernest, I would have gone in deeper.”
As expected of Arabella.
“Anyway, I don’t know exactly what that big thing is, but if it has anything to do with Saul Hangston, it would be a truly incredible discovery. It could be something imbued with Saul Hangston’s magic, or it could be an object with powerful magic.”
I’d been wondering if it could possibly be a condensed Ancient Magic, but I’d concluded that it wasn’t. If that were the case, we would have gotten a little hint when I entered the restricted area.
But even without that, it was worth exploring.
Saul Hangston.
He was a legendary mage who left behind no disciples, and even his esoteric magic was lost.
“In that sense… I don’t think I can stop you. Right?” Arabella asked.
Well, whatever.
Instead of answering, we just laughed.
Arabella looked as if she knew it. “Yes, I thought so. Even if I tried to stop you, you’d go anyway. That’s how everyone is at your age. So, let’s do this instead. If you sense danger, get out right away. You have to promise.”
Everyone nodded. Except in unavoidable cases like the one with Saint Aimar, it was right to get out.
“Dane. You have to as well,” Arabella said firmly.
“Yes. I will.”
“And just in case, take this.” Arabella handed me a scroll. “If it’s dangerous, tear this without delay. You’ll be teleported here instantly. However, there’s a penalty. Since we’re forcibly moving you in a hurry, your body and magic will take some damage. But it’s better than dying, right?”
“Yes.”
Ernest accepted the scroll and looked bewildered. “Four such precious scrolls… Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
By the way, disposable scrolls, especially teleport scrolls, were very expensive. The usage and effect were clear, and teleportation itself was an incredibly difficult magic.
“It’s fine. You’re all Dane’s friends, after all.” Arabella waved her hand coolly. “Be sure to tell me your plans before you go. I’m sure you’ll do well, but there might be something I can do for you.”
I didn’t forget her advice.
“Remember, entering a restricted area is grounds for suspension. Two suspensions are grounds for expulsion. Do you know what I mean? There is no room for leniency.”
It was brutal, but that was why I wanted to explore more.
I guess I got this trait from Arabella.
“Yes! I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Alright. And… When you come back, tell me what you found out?”
Even Arabella had to gain something. Of course, she didn’t expect anything in return and was doing us a favor, but it was something we shouldn’t just ignore.
I guess I should be thankful that Arabella used to be a troublemaker.
* * *
We set the operation date for two days later.
Meanwhile, Ernest distributed exploration equipment according to the number of people and prepared backpacks that could be used appropriately.
Because of this, Priscilla, Leila, and I didn’t have anything to prepare. We could draw our weapons whenever we wanted, and Priscilla didn’t need anything to unleash her divine powers.
Instead, I reviewed the plan again.
“The infiltration route is here. The guards work two-hour shifts. During the shift change, when they move from this building to this building, there is a slight gap in visibility. We move through that gap.”
“What next?”
“From here on out, we must move while spreading anti-tracking powder, and when we get here… our dragon should come out, right?”
“Kireuk!”
Karnas suddenly burst out as soon as his name was mentioned.
This time too, Karnas’ presence was essential. Access itself was possible, but getting inside was another matter. To melt the thick magic barrier without a trace, Karnas’ flames were needed.
So, it was an operation carried out by five, not four.
“Let’s also prepare a Plan B for when things go wrong. Rather than just tearing up the scroll, let’s assume a course of action for each situation.”
“Alright.”
At my suggestion, Ernest quickly checked the escape route and even considered a route for re-infiltration if necessary.
The plan was slowly completed一
“Perfect.”
We were finally able to make all our plans the day before we left.
“Alright. Let me say it again. Here, here, approaching from the South when the guards change shifts.”
“Alright.”
“After moving, Karnas will quickly melt the barrier, and we’ll go in. And then… here, we open the door leading to the basement.”
From here on, the internal exploration began.
The plan for the internal exploration was left entirely in Ernest’s hands.
“First of all, we estimate that the epicenter of the wave is on the second basement floor. Our priority is to first enter the first basement and carefully secure the safety of the first and second floors. If there are people there, we should take care of them first.”
“I’ll do the detecting. I’ll know once we get in.” Thanks to my ancient magic, I could detect whatever was in my surroundings. “Leila, watch the rear. And Priscilla is always in the middle because she’s more vulnerable to surprise attacks than we are.”
The rear guard was Leila and Ernest’s job. However, since it was indoors, the longbow that Ernest had previously practiced was a bit difficult, so he prepared a shortbow instead.
“It’s not difficult. This time, just shoot with the mindset of providing cover.”
“Alright, I got it.”
Now the last step.
“There are two scenarios. The first is if the epicenter of the wave is identified without any problems. After that, the key will be whether it can be brought out or recorded.”
This was the first one.
“The other one is if, just if, there are people.”
“Then?”
“The top priority is to not get caught. We don’t know what kind of people they are.”
First of all, the top priority was not to get caught. If we got caught, we’d have to tear up our scrolls, which was honestly the worst-case scenario.
“Let’s move according to the situation. Be flexible when needed. If we have to deal with a situation… Let’s move in the safest direction possible.”
Ernest agreed. “I’ve been watching for a few days and no one has come or gone, but you never know. I keep hearing some kind of noise.”
Everything was set.
Approach stealthily, check the situation inside, confirm the epicenter of the wave, and record or take it out if necessary.
One more thing.
If there was someone一
“I’ll jump in depending on the situation. I’ll try to knock them out if possible.”
“Will that work?”
“Why not?”
Leila looked at me with a questioning look, then nodded. “Well, it is you we’re talking about.”
There were many ways to knock someone out. I could use the sleeping poison I learned from Mother, or shoot a magic bullet at their head and knock them out.
The key, of course, was to make it so that they were unable to see us.
“By any chance, if there really are people, what kind of people would they be?”
“I’m not sure.”
I guess we’d have to find out.
One thing was certain. Being in Saul Hangston’s officially empty lab meant something was going on that we couldn’t predict. Since the guards weren’t using it as a base, we would just have to go and find out.
“Our club is walking in on a limb. It’s not like we got shot in the head with an arrow.” Priscilla’s grumbling continued, still unbecoming of a Theology student, but her voice was filled with anticipation.
“Well, it lives up to its name. The ‘Romance’ club.”
That was right.
“A… as long as it’s not a ghost.” Leila, well, it was to be expected.
“Good. What could it be? I’m so excited!” Ernest, as always before an expedition, was beside himself with excitement.
I was pretty excited, too, but not as excited as Ernest.
The source of those mana waves that were no less than a treasure.
The place that was used as Saul Hangston’s laboratory.
I was starting to become unbearably curious about it.
“Alright. Let’s go cause an incident.”
