Chapter 114 : Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Everyone’s gaze turned to the Communication Bracelet that had just been repaired.
“……It seems the repair was successful.”
Heinen’s eyes widened as he watched the mana stone flicker with blue light.
Of course, Aquila was equally surprised.
He had not made any mistakes and had even refilled it with mana in the process, so he had expected it to function—but he had not anticipated it reacting the very instant it was repaired.
Wooooong!
The wave of mana let out another long hum.
“I will answer first and explain later—”
Casting a sidelong glance at Merdin, Aquila slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist and was about to receive the call.
Tap.
The formulas scattered, and the blue glow flickering within the mana stone abruptly faded.
The other party had cut off the flow of mana.
Apparently, they had assumed no one would answer.
“Good timing. Let us call back from our side.”
Porzelin and Heinen nodded.
They had no idea how he had repaired it, but explanations could come later.
Aquila turned to Merdin.
“May I return later to repair the remaining one?”
“Ah, y-yes…….”
Merdin, who had been staring blankly while recalling Aquila’s repair process, snapped back to his senses.
“O-Of course……! As long as I am allowed to watch!”
If one remained, that meant he could witness that sight again.
Merdin practically leaped as he spoke.
“Yes. In that case, may we borrow the space outside for a moment?”
Since they were merely restoring formulas, there was nothing to conceal.
Besides, both the workshop and the state-of-the-art repair tools belonged to Merdin.
Color returned instantly to his face.
“By all means! Use it freely—as long as you return to the workshop afterward!”
Even as he spoke, Merdin gazed at the Communication Bracelet in rapture before shifting his attention to the repair tools, as if attempting to reconstruct Aquila’s every movement in his mind.
For the time being, he seemed unlikely to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Leaving him in the workshop, the three stepped outside in haste.
They moved a short distance from the door and formed a small circle.
The first person they intended to contact was Lexenbert.
When Aquila raised his left arm, the mana stored within the stone activated, and the blue gem emitted a brilliant glow.
The light blinked as if signaling a connection.
Wooo……
Two pulses.
Then a golden ring of formulas formed around Aquila’s wrist.
[Gasp—Young Master?!]
The moment the connection was established, the other party shouted without preamble.
[Is it truly you, Young Master?!]
The resounding voice startled not only Aquila but also the two swordsmen beside him.
Soon, however, Aquila answered calmly.
“……Yes. It is me.”
[I-Is it really? I am not hearing things, am I?! That signal just now—I will, ah—Lady Yujelia! Lady Yujelia!]
Shen’s frantic voice echoed faintly through the bracelet as though he were running.
A loud clatter followed.
After hurried footsteps, a higher voice rang out.
[Young Master?! Is it truly Lord Aquila?!]
The voice belonged, as expected, to Yujelia.
Through the bracelet, they could hear the two of them flustered and scrambling.
“If the person you are looking for is Aquila Reschenhardt, then you are not mistaken.”
[That indifferent voice. It is indeed the Young Master! Lord Raspalara, thank heavens…….]
Yujelia murmured a brief prayer.
[I—I always knew you must be alive, of course, but without any word from you, I cannot tell you how worried I have been…….]
Moisture quickly crept into Shen’s voice.
Even that alone made it easy to imagine how deeply the already anxious Shen had suffered.
Aquila briefly dwelled on the word “indifferent” before returning to the matter at hand.
“I am sorry. I intended to contact you immediately, but the bracelet malfunctioned. Lord Heinen’s did as well, so we could not reach you sooner.”
[Lord Heinen’s too……? You are together, correct? And Lady Porzelin as well?]
“Yes. I am here as well. As Lord Aquila said, the Two-Way Mana Communicator malfunctioned, so we were unable to contact you in advance. I apologize.”
“This is Porzelin, Sir Shen. The Young Master and both of us are safe. We have remained together the entire time.”
As Heinen and Porzelin each spoke, Shen’s quiet sniffles and Yujelia’s murmured thanks to Raspalara could be heard through the bracelet.
[I am so relieved that all three of you are safe…….]
[Th-Then where are you now, Young Master? You are not in Labyrinth City, Labyrinth, are you……?]
“We are in the east.”
[The east?!]
“To be precise, in a small city called Banahan near the Black Forest Dungeon.”
Aquila briefly summarized what had happened.
They had been forcibly teleported to Sliana Forest, where they encountered the Blue Scale Descendants.
Various things had occurred, but in the end matters had been resolved, and while searching for a magic tool artisan to repair the bracelet, they had finally succeeded.
[Another one of those dreadful beings like last time…….]
“I will explain the details later. It would take too long to go into now.”
[Then you are safe at present? Are you well? None of you are injured?]
“At present, all three of us are in good health. You need not worry.”
[Thank goodness…….]
Shen and Yujelia had gasped in shock upon hearing of the battle, but now that they understood the situation, a trace of calm began to return to their voices.
After all, they knew he was safe.
[……We will prepare to head east. To come and escort you back, Young Master.]
The east was foreign territory.
Rather than publicly declaring Aquila’s identity as a Reschenhardt and requesting support, it would be less complicated for Shen to fetch them directly.
In any case, hearing their voices lightened something in Aquila’s chest.
Still, they could not merely exchange pleasantries.
He cleared his throat softly, shifting the topic.
“More importantly, I contacted Father. Why are the two of you answering?”
[Ah! Yes! There is something we must tell you. While you were missing, Lord Lexenbert came down to the capital.]
At Aquila’s question, Shen hurried to explain.
Upon hearing the news, Lexenbert had traveled to the capital. Suspecting that Aquila might have been abducted by the Guild of Darkness, he headed toward Labyrinth City, Labyrinth, where Aquila was most likely to be found.
Saint Ianpel had accompanied him, and Shen also described who else had joined and the situation within the imperial court.
‘As expected, Lexenbert went to Labyrinth with Ianpel—but Friadel and Grancer as well…….’
[He left this with me, saying he might not receive a signal in time. He told me to inform him the moment contact was made. I happened to be about to use the bracelet when…….]
Shen’s voice, no longer quite as nasal, trailed off.
A brief silence fell through the communicator.
[Young Master. This is news we received before your contact, so it likely has not spread yet—but you must know.]
It was Yujelia who spoke first.
She took a steady breath before continuing.
[Labyrinth City, Labyrinth has been half-destroyed.]
“What?”
“……Half-destroyed?”
The others exclaimed in shock.
[Yes. The surface is said to be intact, but the underground has been almost completely destroyed. The headquarters of the Guild of Darkness was located there…….]
“That entire area was not solely the Guild of Darkness.”
Aquila countered.
[That is true. I only learned of this recently as well, but illegal dealings were rampant there. It was not a place of good reputation.]
“And since they took Saint Ianpel, they decided it would be better to uproot it entirely?”
[Not exactly…….]
As Yujelia hesitated, Shen took over.
[Lord Lexenbert went to Labyrinth with only a minimal number of people. Fewer than twenty.]
At those words, Aquila lifted the edge of his brow.
“Then perhaps, seeing that number, other guilds thought they could handle him?”
Word that Lexenbert was traveling from the capital to Labyrinth would have reached Labyrinth almost immediately.
Members of the Guild of Darkness were scattered everywhere, and information flowed swiftly through them.
Moreover, a prince had backed Reschenhardt, and Saint Ianpel—the face of the Temple of the Sun—had joined the group.
From their perspective, it must have been absurd.
Labyrinth had long been a place where illegal activities ran rampant, yet even the imperial family had tacitly allowed it.
And now Reschenhardt, carrying the weight of everything behind him, was approaching.
If they did nothing, they would be crushed.
But if the number of people who appeared in Labyrinth was fewer than twenty, what might they have thought?
‘Ah, if we all attack together, we could win.’
“……Lord Lexenbert once operated in the central region, but he has never truly fought there. The power of a Sword Master was displayed only in the north.”
A Sword Master was known as a walking calamity, yet few had ever witnessed such power.
Of the three Sword Masters currently on the Delvion continent, only one moved with any frequency.
Even the southern Sword Master was said to travel occasionally but had never truly displayed his full strength.
Most knew of their might only through rumor.
And Labyrinth was a place ruled by strength.
Those who had secured their positions through sheer power might well have looked at a small group and thought as much.
“……It is nonsense. Father alone could have annihilated the entire underground.”
At Aquila’s words, Heinen nodded with a dark expression.
He had personally witnessed the sword of a Sword Master in the central plaza of Denimarad and in the eastern forest.
That man had not even been fighting at full strength.
[That is not all. Lord Lexenbert went believing you were there, Young Master. And—do you recall the Guild of Darkness member we met at the Grand Temple?]
“The one who told me to die.”
[Absolutely not, and you are not someone who should even hear such words! In any case, strangely, the moment your name was mentioned, dozens of them behaved as if under mass hypnosis…….]
Shen’s voice faltered.
In other words, among the Guild of Darkness were those brainwashed by a follower of the Night God, and at the mere mention of Aquila’s name, they lost control.
“And again—what did the Young Master even do to provoke such a reaction?!”
Porzelin clenched both fists, her expression fierce.
‘……And a furious Lexenbert smashed everything in response.’
Aquila nodded, understanding.
That did not mean he felt sympathy.
He knew exactly what those people had been involved in.
To begin with, those who challenged Lexenbert likely did so for their own gain.
Most of them probably had connections to the Guild of Darkness.
‘Those who witnessed Lexenbert’s power this time will feel not vague fear, but true terror. House Reschenhardt may face greater pressure.’
Still, it was within the range he had anticipated.
Aquila organized his thoughts.
“I understand the situation. We will contact Lord Ianpel from our side. Do not worry.”
[Yes, Young Master. I am simply relieved to know you are safe. We will prepare to depart for the east.]
“Very well.”
After Heinen and Porzelin added a few words of greeting, Aquila ended the transmission, and the golden ring around his wrist vanished.
“……Let us contact Lord Ianpel as well.”
Aquila activated the formulas once more.
Wooooong!
The light blinked for a long while as the signal stretched on—
[Hm? Hello?]
[Aaaagh!]
From beyond the bracelet came a calm voice—followed by a scream.