Chapter 146 The True Beginning (9)
Death Howl was the name of the Dungeon Basil and Caesar were currently in. This Dungeon had no specialty nor an exceptional danger to it.
Even in the past, death Howl had been considered one of the tame ones ... Untill one tragedy changed it all.
The 32nd Obelisk, the Obelisk of Goap had a sudden Outbreak that had taken people by ultimate surprise. The world had been too calm for more than 2000 years, no one had expected history would repeat itself.
Death Howl had been used as a connecting gate—a shortcut—between BA-32, the place where the Obelisk of Goap was located at, and Fortescher County.
Raneil Barony, as the outermost part of Fortescher County, had been the very first place to collapse. Due to the sudden and bewildering development, the Kingdom had decided to sacrifice Fortescher County for the "greater good."
The people the Kingdom had sent had prioritized conquering the Obelisk over reclaiming the Demon infested County. In result, many innocent's lives were forfeit.
All of this had happened due to the unexpected variable, that was, Death Howl Dungeon.
At that time, although Basil hadn't been a renowned Knight yet, he had been strong enough to visit Death Howl alone. He had checked through it, purely out of curiosity.
He had thought he could figure out the part that connected Death Howl with BA-32. How wrong he was, he still couldn't find it, even after visiting it for the second time in his past life.
At the very beginning of the Exploration, he had also thought the Exploration would run smoothly as he had already known most of the route.
However he was also proven wrong; even if he recognized the place, the structure of the Dungeon was completely different compared to the one he had visited in his past life.
His puzzlement was answered only after he laid his hand on the Sealing Sword that acted as the controller of the Dungeon. Death Howl Dungeon had no definite structure; it could be modified at will.
That means, in the past, Caesar had changed the structure of the Dungeon. That also means, Caesar had been the one who had let the Demons from BA-32 pass through it.
"Caesar, despite being able to control the Dungeon on your whim, why do you not do it?"
Basil and Caesar were already in the middle of their journey to find the connector gate. It had been twenty minutes of traveling in normal speed, and they hadn't encountered a single low class Demon yet.
"Hmmm ... You might not know it, but..." Caesar cupped his chin. "I have changed the Dungeon structure many times, Young Master. It was done to keep those annoying bastards away though."
He was referring to the low class Demons.
"I see ..." Basil kept quiet for awhile, before coming up with another question. "Upon our first encounter, why did you not keep the Sealing Sword away?"
Caesar didn't answer immediately. He seemed to ponder whether he should tell or not. In the end though, he still decided to answer.
"It was much simpler than you thought, Young Master." With a small voice, he continued, "I was lonely. Meeting another human, that is not a Priest, soothes that loneliness a little bit."
"..."
Upon hearing the answer, Basil did him a favor by staying quiet. He understood Caesar a little bit. For someone as sociable as Caesar, 2000 years of staying alone must be hard for him.
Furthermore, he had been visited by the people he hated to his Core three times a year for the past 25 years. Anyone would be frustrated.
Basil touched the Sealing Sword that was hanging on his hip. It was a 1.3 meters long, bronze colored ornamental sword with countless of shining Runes directly Carved on the blade. Overall, it looked like nothing but a decoration.
"I cannot locate the area we are heading with this ... What does this mean?"
Basil was referring to the location of the connector gate. He could feel every parts of the Dungeon with the Sealing Sword but one: the area Caesar had mentioned about. Which is the reason why he had asked Caesar to guide him.
"Oh, that is also simple, Young Master. Although you can change the structure of the Dungeon, some of the parts are immovable. That is why you can't feel them through the Sealing Sword."
"No wonder," Basil mused.
He had asked the same thing to the Guide, but the answer it had given had been unsatisfactory.
—You have to upgrade the Guide to unlock the new function!
He didn't even ask the guide to locate the area he had been asking about, he had merely asked how he couldn't locate it.
However, upon hearing the answer from Caesar, he could quite understand why. The information was significant enough as it could determine the outcome of the incoming big event that was soon to happen.
"How long had it taken you to get a full control over this Dungeon?"
"Hmmm ... Thirty years, I guess?" Caesar caressed his long, white beard. "The only thing stopping me from getting the Sealing Sword was its position: I couldn't locate it until I fixed my fourth Circle."
Repairing a Magic Circle is three times harder than Carving it. Thus, the long time.
Caesar glanced at Basil. "Therefore, I was astonished when you could locate it in just a few minutes, Young Master."
The reason was simple: an Upper Middle Grade Barrier was put to hide the Sealing Sword. However, for Basil, who had created the strongest Magic Barrier in the past, it had been nothing.
Still ... That doesn't mean Caesar was incompetent, despite of the experience he should have.
"There is nothing amazing with being able to notice it with a healthy Circle."
"Nonetheless, I am still amazed, Young Master," Caesar said with a slight smile. He was a little bit touched by the consideration.
Although it wasn't to the point where it wasn't amazing, what Basil had said was true: anyone with healthy Magic Circles, and an amazing talent would be able to do the same feat.
Magic Circles, even though fixable, after being crippled once, would never be the same again. Therefore, even after Caesar had fully fixed his ninth Magic Circle, he would only be slightly stronger than an ordinary Eighth Circle.
It had been also the case in the past; Basil had taken care of two Bewitched Kinslayers with Nine Magic Circles on his own, despite of being a mere Eighth Circle Mage.
One could only imagine if none of them hadn't had their Magic Circles crippled. A sudden emergence of hundreds of true Ninth Circle Mages was the least thing one would want to happen.
"We have arrived, Young Master," Caesar said rather awkwardly.
Basil blinked his eyes. "We have arrived?"
"Yes ... I guess?" Basil glanced at Caesar, and Caesar cleared his throat at that. "Kuhum! At least, in my memory, we have arrived."
One might wonder where Basil and Caesar were. However, they weren't far from the place where they had started their journey. In fact, they were back to the place where they started their journey—the cell chamber.
Silence descended amongst the two, and the situation turned even more awkward.
How could it not? Imagine if you were walking for an hour, only to end up going around in circles. It is frustrating!
"How—what the heck is happening?" Caesar muttered in puzzlement.
Basil was slightly puzzled too. He was sure he and Caesar hadn't been going around in circles. He had pictured the route in his mind, and there was no possibility they could return to the cell chamber.
Even the Sealing Sword considered this place was different than the cell chamber, the place that he had spent his time with Caesar training.
"I am sorry, Young Master ..." Caesar bowed his head. "I think it is a mistake on my part. I believe I have led us to the wrong way. In the very first place, if the route had been right, we would have encountered many annoying Demons in our way."
Caesar was about to continue talking, when Basil raised his hand up. Caesar was about to ask what was the matter, but Basil quickly answered his question.
"You are not wrong; we are here. This is the place."
"Huh? What do you ..." Caesar trailed off his word by the time he saw what Basil was doing.
Basil rose the Sealing Sword in his hand, and pointed it to the gateway of the cell chamber. Infusing his Mana into it, every Runes carved on its blade shone, then moved around the blade.
Basil thrust the Sealing sword slowly to the front. When the tip of the sword entered the area of the gateway, the air rippled slightly, and the tip immediately disappeared as if just entering another dimension.
Caesar widened his eyes. "Barrier? Who had set this thing here? It could't just appear by itself!"
Then, his eyes went to the Sealing Sword that was already half submerged into the Barrier. He was sure it must had a hand in it.
"Young Master, I think we should—"
Caesar shut his mouth entirely when he saw Basil's expression. Saying it not good would be an understatement. He could surely exclaim, of all the facial expressions Basil had shown, this was his darkest.
"They are already here," Basil muttered.
"They? Who are they?"
There was so many things Caesar wanted to ask: how Basil knew everything, how he could notice the barrier, and how he could utilize the Sealing Sword that way.
However, Basil paid no mind to him. He merely twisted the Sealing Sword, spiraling the Barrier, before dispersing it completely.
The scene changed; it didn't look like the cell chamber anymore. A 7 meters tall, and 10 meters wide tunnel could be seen in front of the two Mages.
Caesar's eyes looked at nothing but to his front; he didn't feel the need to admire the tunnel. His eyes were completely glued to the tunnel way—to the approaching horde of hideous creatures.
"The exodus has started."
They were the Demons of BA-32.