Chapter 111 : Chapter 111
Chapter 111
The first thing Aquila Reschenhardt did was change the color of his hair.
In front of the Blue Scale Descendants, he had neither the leisure nor the need to conceal himself, and there had been no reason to alter it when he had intended to reveal his identity. But here, if he stepped out in his current appearance, it was obvious that it would cause a disturbance.
A golden formula shimmered at his fingertips, and in an instant, his hair turned black.
Heinen had seen it once before in Portplum, so this was the second time. He was not surprised.
“Your hair…….”
But Porzelin was.
Her eyes widened as she murmured unconsciously.
Of course, she was not questioning the fact that he had used magic to change the color of his hair.
There was no telling whether news from the capital had already spread this far east, but Aquila Reschenhardt’s original appearance was far too conspicuous.
Even when he did absolutely nothing.
Porzelin and Heinen would protect him, but it was better not to become entangled in commotion in the first place.
Moreover, this was the eastern land, a place with no connections whatsoever.
Even though she understood all that, the reason she was startled was simple: she had never once imagined a Reschenhardt with black hair.
“Your eyes look a bit sharper now. Ah. Or perhaps they were fierce to begin with……?”
Porzelin stared at him intently.
It was exactly the same impression Shen had given when he first saw Aquila in a different appearance.
‘That Lexenbert man already has eyes like that, so it is only natural that his son would as well…….’
Still, Aquila found himself idly brushing beneath his eyes before giving a small cough.
“……In any case. The area is probably in chaos with people attempting to conquer the newly altered dungeon. Not only adventurers and explorers, but also herbalists and merchants. For now, we just need to find a magic tool artisan.”
At Aquila’s explanation, Porzelin straightened her posture, and the quietly standing Heinen nodded.
“You both know this already, but by now there may be quite a few people on edge. Some may be particularly sensitive.”
“……You mean those aiming for the dungeon’s first clear.”
The two swordsmen had already felt it keenly as they approached this place.
The sharp, tense auras emanating from their surroundings.
Whenever a new dungeon was discovered, or when an existing dungeon changed internally and a new boss monster appeared, countless adventurers gathered around it.
All for the sake of achieving the dungeon’s first clear.
Not only for the honor of proving their skill, but also for the sweet rewards granted upon accomplishing the first clear.
Above all, when an existing dungeon transformed into an event dungeon, it would disappear forever after being cleared once, making the competition even fiercer.
Those fascinated by the new boss monster, those who wished to seize the honor of the first clear, those blinded by rewards……
Various types of people flocked to the dungeon’s outskirts.
And soon, they began to keep one another in check.
After all, they had to clear it before the others.
Because of that, spies who infiltrated rival teams and individuals who professionally sold information had even emerged.
The profits from that alone were considerable.
As a result, the outskirts of any newly opened dungeon were always like a battlefield, and the atmosphere was nothing short of ominous.
Naturally, it would be no different near the Black Forest Dungeon.
“I thought it might be cleared while we were staying in the forest, but it seems that did not happen. I heard the original difficulty was relatively easy.”
“Still, quite some time has passed. It may be cleared soon.”
Listening to them, Aquila alone shrugged inwardly.
There were not many on this continent who could wound a Demonic Dragon.
Among the currently renowned dungeon raiders, there was no one who possessed the skill of a Sword Master.
Even if they wore equipment made of Mithril.
They might be able to inflict minor wounds, but that alone would not be enough to defeat a Demonic Dragon.
As if to change the subject, Aquila spoke.
“We will look around for a while. If things do not seem promising, we can leave. There is a village one day’s walk from here anyway.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Then let us move—”
“No. Wait a moment.”
Aquila stopped them and turned his gaze to Heinen.
“What are you trying to follow us so casually for? You stand out too much. It is time for you to leave.”
More precisely, he was speaking to the one sitting atop his head, pretending not to be noticed.
Ding!
[Note from Joreumi:Bored! Unfair!]
The Great Spirit immediately shot upward and began spinning in protest.
“At least turn off your light if you are going to follow us.”
Aquila replied indifferently.
“Anyway, the light is…….”
The Great Spirit, which had been hovering midair, suddenly stopped and stared at him.
Then, abruptly, it extinguished its light.
“?”
Ding!
[Note from Joreumi:Never mind.]
The Great Spirit fluttered back and settled on Heinen’s head once more.
“……Has it truly left? I cannot see it.”
Heinen glanced around as if searching for the suddenly vanished glow.
Normally, spirits were invisible to ordinary people, but that Great Spirit had revealed its presence by shining with its own power.
“……It did not leave.”
Porzelin realized immediately because of the direction Aquila’s gaze was fixed.
‘……Can it originally turn off its light? Is it because that one is not a Spirit of Light?’
For the first time in his life, Aquila was speechless at the sight.
“……Hah. Fine. If it is not visible, that is enough.”
In the end, he gave up.
“Then let us go—”
“Wait.”
“Yes? Is something still wrong?”
When they halted once more, Heinen and Porzelin looked puzzled.
Instead of answering, Aquila extended one hand.
A golden formula surged from his fingertips.
Saaah.
At the same time, the dragon emblem engraved upon Porzelin’s armor vanished cleanly.
“Ah.”
“Let us go.”
Aquila slipped the dragon-shaped brooch into his pocket and began walking.
***
Before every dungeon stood a massive arched stone monument.
Upon it were inscribed ancient words said to date back to the age of the gods. According to ancient linguists, they read as follows:
‘Accept our trial.’
Originally, dungeons were said to be places where ancient beings trained themselves and set trials for others.
Spaces where everything was manifested through magic.
Places filled purely with Mana and intricate formulas.
Scholars speculated that such places took on their current form because war had once raged upon the surface, causing the formulas that existed then to link together or become hopelessly entangled.
In short, dungeons were mysterious spaces saturated with magic, and since most were created in ancient times, they could rightfully be called ruins.
The place people referred to as the Black Dungeon, or the Black Forest Dungeon, was no exception.
Located near the entrance of Washerd Forest, this dungeon lay underground, and countless people crowded around the staircase leading downward.
Nearby, rows of tents had been erected for those staying in the area, and here and there merchants had set up stalls.
Of course, the most common sight was adventurers clad in armor.
Swords and spears, staffs and axes…… armed with all manner of weapons, they gathered in groups to converse, while some sat around makeshift tables holding meetings over maps.
“……Seeing it in person, there are even more than I expected. Are all of them aiming to conquer the dungeon?”
“This is only the outside. If you go below, there will be even more. They will be waiting in the corridors for their turn.”
“Their enthusiasm is remarkable…….”
Heinen murmured.
He called it enthusiasm, but a cold tension permeated the air from every direction.
They observed the people as carefully as possible.
Rather than approaching the adventurer groups, they lingered near the street vendors’ stalls, which mostly sold herbs, potions, dungeon traps, and escape items.
“There are people all the way to the path leading to the entrance…… Ah. Let us ask that person.”
Aquila shifted his gaze and spotted a stall.
Displayed upon it were arrows and daggers, lamps embedded with mana stones, and accessories whose properties were unclear.
After confirming that, they approached the merchant.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Hmm? Oh? An elf……? Or perhaps not?”
The merchant, who had been polishing a ring set with a small gemstone, widened his eyes before tilting his head.
“……Your ears are round. Human?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“I almost mistook you because of your attire. Why would a human wear such clothes…… Ahem. Well, what is it you want?”
The merchant quickly lost interest and blew a puff of breath onto the ring in his hand before rubbing it again.
His attitude was far from welcoming, but Heinen remained composed.
“If you are a magic tool artisan, we have a request.”
“A request?”
At that word, the merchant narrowed his eyes and lifted his head.
“Do not tell me you want a magic tool that reveals what is in the next room, or a bomb capable of piercing solid scales. I am tired of hearing such things.”
He waved his hand irritably.
“No. A magic tool of ours is damaged, and we lack the proper equipment to repair it.”
“Huh? Damaged? What kind of magic tool?”
“This.”
The one who answered last was Aquila.
He rolled up his sleeve and revealed the Communication Bracelet fastened around his left wrist.
The merchant’s eyes bulged at once when he recognized it.
“Th-That is not a two-way mana communicator, is it?”
“Yes. I need the proper tools to repair it, so I was wondering if you might have—”
“Good heavens!”
Suddenly raising his voice, the merchant thrust his face close to Aquila’s left wrist.
The abrupt and forceful movement made Aquila flinch, and Porzelin instinctively gripped her scabbard tightly.
“Oh, ohh! This enormous mana stone! Such a smooth and beautiful sur—w-wait! Is this perhaps one of the early models?”
The merchant, who had been speaking rapidly, abruptly changed his expression and lifted his head.
It looked somewhat different from the versions recently circulating on the market.
Those had a single thick silver band, but the bracelet on this young man’s wrist had two thin bands with a large mana stone embedded in them.
The merchant’s eyes sparkled.
“C-Could I, perhaps, take a closer look……?”
He stared at Aquila with an intensely pleading gaze.
That look.
Aquila internally referred to it as “the madness of enthusiasts overly obsessed with a single object.”
The intensity of that gaze was excessive.
“Ah, well…… yes……. Go ahead…….”
With an uneasy expression, Aquila removed the bracelet from his wrist and handed it to the merchant.
If there was one piece of knowledge he had gained in this world, it was that when someone with eyes like that made a request, it was better not to refuse.
The merchant accepted it reverently, using not his bare hands but the cloth he had been holding.
“Oh, ooooh……! How on earth could someone embed such delicate magical formulas into such thin bands?”
He examined the Communication Bracelet from every angle, exclaiming in admiration.
Then he discovered something and staggered as if about to faint.
“I-It has Beirets Hurbel’s numbering engraved here……! Do not tell me this was crafted personally by him……!”
The merchant added another cloth and continued examining the Communication Bracelet with the utmost care.
Watching him, Aquila pressed his lips into a straight line.
‘Are all magic tool artisans like this……?’
Porzelin glanced around awkwardly, while Heinen’s expression was…… strange.
As if someone had suddenly come to mind, his face turned slightly pale.
“……In any case, I would like to borrow some tools.”
Aquila cleared his throat and redirected the conversation.
The merchant, who had been scrubbing a scratch on the bracelet in a state of rapture, finally looked up.
“Ah, right. Yes! The tools! About that……”
The merchant’s face, which had been overflowing with joy, darkened at once.
“This cannot be repaired. This is a piece that only Beirets Hurbel himself can touch…….”