The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 345

After that, we thoroughly searched the interior of the collapsed facility.

“It’s not 99% anymore, it’s 100%. Lady Sophia is alive.”

After that investigation, I was once again certain.

Lady Sophia is alive.

“There’s no one else who can handle magic of this level with so many different attributes except for Lady Sophia.”

We focused our search on the traces within the collapsed facilities.

We confirmed a total of eight magic attributes.

Based on the strength of the collapsed facilities, we estimated the power of the magic.

All of them were at least 8th circle master-level magic.

There is no one else who can handle such a vast range of attributes with this level of power and output except for Lady Sophia.

“Is there a possibility that there were multiple attackers?”

Adela suggested a new possibility.

The possibility that the destruction of this facility was caused by multiple attackers.

If that were the case, my premise that she handled eight attributes of magic alone would collapse, and my hypothesis would fall apart.

It was a sharp observation, typical of Adela.

If ordinary people heard that, they would have exclaimed, ‘Ah!’

But.

“No. That’s not possible.”

Not me.

“The person who attacked this facility was one person. A lone perpetrator.”

I was already aware of the possibility that there might be multiple attackers.

After being aware of it, I even finished verifying it.

“I checked the remnants of mana left in various parts of the facility. Their properties and characteristics are almost identical.”

My ‘Divine Eye,’ which has evolved to the next level, can even read the remnants of magic that were activated three days ago.

“Magic that was activated three days ago… and the traces are still there?”

“If it had been cleaned up to some extent like the upper floors, there wouldn’t be any traces left, but unlike the upper floors, this place was completely abandoned, right?”

Of course, if the facility hadn’t been abandoned, there wouldn’t be any remnants of mana or anything else left.

“Ah, I see.”

Adela nodded as if she understood.

“That’s amazing. To be able to read the remnants of mana that flowed out from magic activated three days ago…”

“It’s not that amazing. You’ll be able to see this much soon too, Adela. Your eyes are becoming more and more similar to mine.”

My Divine Eye and Adela’s Mind’s Eye.

They were clearly magic eyes that only had somewhat similar names.

But at some point, the power they possessed also became similar.

No, it would be more accurate to say that Adela’s immense talent is evolving the Mind’s Eye.

Currently, Adela’s ‘Mind’s Eye’ has transformed into a kind of magic eye that is different from the ‘Mind’s Eye’ of the Steart family.

I don’t even know if I should call it ‘Mind’s Eye’ anymore.

According to Adela, she just brought out the inherent power that the Mind’s Eye possessed.

Honestly, I don’t know.

No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think the Mind’s Eye had such power hidden within it.

It must be that Adela evolved the Mind’s Eye with her innate talent.

“Hmm… It’s hard to imagine. The day my eyes become similar to your Divine Eye…”

Adela tilted her head with a bewildered expression.

It was an expression that she couldn’t picture such a future at all.

“It will definitely come.”

“…Is that so?”

“100%.”

Adela answered softly, still with a bewildered expression.

It was a soulless answer.

It was clear that she was thinking, ‘No matter how I think about it, that doesn’t seem to be the case…’

“Well, anyway. It’s highly likely that Lady Sophia is alive.”

Adela changed the subject.

“Yeah. That’s right. There’s no one else who can do something like this alone except for Lady Sophia.”

“…Successor.”

At that moment, Mimir called out to me.

His voice was quite serious.

“Sorry to interrupt your fun conversation.”

Just like his voice, he called out to me with a very serious expression.

“I found an entrance that looks like a secret passage.”

“…A secret passage?”

There’s a secret passage?

“Didn’t you say that this research facility only had up to the 4th basement floor?”

“The indoor blueprints only showed up to the 4th basement floor.”

“There’s a secret passage that doesn’t even exist on the indoor blueprints?”

“I think it’s probably a facility that was added separately after it was built.”

Mimir gestured for me to come closer.

“Successor. Sorry, but can you check it with your Divine Eye?”

Then, he turned his gaze and gestured to Adela as well.

“Adela Steart. You too. Just in case, please check it. I don’t think there’s anything there, but just in case.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll try.”

Adela came running and squatted next to me.

Adela and I began to investigate beyond the secret passage.

“…How is it?”

About two minutes passed.

All the investigations that could be done from this position were finished.

“It’s strange.”

“…There’s something there.”

Adela and I spoke our respective investigation results.

“Explain in detail.”

Mimir looked at me and Adela in turn and asked.

“First, the Successor. What’s strange?”

“There’s nothing to explain in detail.”

I slowly got up from my seat and looked at Mimir as I spoke.

“I can’t see anything.”

“…What?”

Adela reacted before Mimir. She had a surprised expression.

“You can’t see anything? What do you mean you can’t see anything?”

Mimir frowned.

“It’s not that I can’t see something. I literally can’t see anything. I’ve tried everything, but I can’t see anything.”

“You used your Divine Eye, but you still can’t see anything?”

“Yeah. Not at all.”

Mimir’s brow furrowed even more.

He had an expression that he couldn’t understand the current situation.

“That… you can’t see it?”

Looking at us, Adela asked with wide eyes.

She had an even more serious expression than Mimir.

She had an expression that she couldn’t believe that I couldn’t see anything.

“It’s right there in plain sight… There’s no way you can’t see it…”

Attention turned to Adela.

“Adela Steart. What did you see?”

“…A monster.”

“A monster?”

“Yes.”

Adela’s expression twisted.

“You mean there’s a monster?”

“…No. It’s different from a monster. That’s… um…”

Her face looked like she was recalling an unpleasant past experience.

It was an expression as if she was relishing disgust.

“It’s too huge to simply dismiss it as a monster… It’s like it’s not of this world…”

“…What are you talking about?”

Mimir asked back with a slightly frustrated expression.

“So…”

Adela paused for a moment to organize her thoughts before speaking.

“I can’t explain it well, but anyway. That’s something unknown beyond a monster.”

“Something unknown?”

“Yes. I can’t explain it well either, but that’s the feeling.”

“…”

Mimir narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

“So, it’s a strong one, right? To the point that it can’t be compared to a monster.”

Mimir compressed his words, trying to organize Adela’s words somehow.

“No. It’s not that I called it a monster just because it’s strong. It’s more dangerous than strong…”

“Isn’t being strong and being dangerous the same thing?”

“No. It’s different. That thing… ugh… so…”

Adela fell into thought again.

She had an expression that she was also frustrated.

It was an expression that she didn’t know what to say herself.

“Okay…”

Looking at Adela, Mimir nodded slightly.

“I understand the nuance.”

He had an expression that he roughly understood how special the thing below was.

“Anyway, there’s a very dangerous thing located down there, and the Successor couldn’t see that dangerous thing. That’s the important thing, right?”

Mimir’s expression became serious.

A dangerous thing that Adela would describe to that extent is hidden down here.

And I couldn’t confirm that dangerous thing.

He seemed to be questioning that fact.

“An unknown monster that can’t be seen with the Divine Eye…”

Mimir turned his gaze to me.

“Successor.”

I immediately understood what those eyes were trying to say.

“You want to go down and check it out?”

“Yeah.”

An unknown monster that I can’t even confirm with my eyes.

Let’s go and check out that monster directly.

Mimir’s eyes were saying that.

“I’m against it. It’s too dangerous.”

Adela expressed her opposition.

“We’ve already achieved our initial goal of obtaining information about this facility and Lady Sophia. I don’t think we need to push ourselves unnecessarily.”

Mimir turned his gaze to Adela.

“You’re right, the standard course of action is to leave now. But…”

Mimir lowered his gaze to the secret passage below.

“My gut is telling me. If we leave that thing behind and go back, we’ll regret it.”

He tapped his head a few times.

“If we leave that thing there, it feels like something big is going to happen in the near future… I have that kind of premonition.”

“That’s just a feeling. It’s better to think about practicality now…”

Mimir and Adela glared at each other as if they were having a battle of wills.

“I also think it’s right to go.”

Adela turned her gaze to me.

It was an expression as if she was asking, ‘Why you too?’

“Even if we set aside Mimir’s gut feeling, I think we need to check it out.”

I made eye contact with Adela and said.

“If we don’t figure out why my Divine Eye isn’t working, it could become a major obstacle later on.”

“That’s…”

Until now, my Divine Eye was practically invincible.

Nothing could escape the surveillance of the Divine Eye.

“If we leave that unknown monster alone, there’s a possibility that my Divine Eye will become powerless in the near future.”

But that invincible title has disappeared as of this moment.

Something unknown that my Divine Eye cannot detect.

What kind of ability is that unknown thing using to nullify my Divine Eye?

We need to check that out.

“I think the probability is low, but if that technology were to fall into the hands of the remnants of the Black Magic Tower, it would be quite troublesome.”

Even to prepare for the all-out war with Veil Stole that will break out in the near future. We must block all possible variables that could occur.

“And… this is just a feeling, but I think that thing has the answer.”

“The answer?”

“The answer to why Lady Sophia attacked this research facility. And the answer to why Lady Sophia is hiding her survival from us.”

It’s as if all the answers are with that unknown monster.

That kind of premonition is strongly hitting my head.

“So, let’s go in.”

* * *

After that, we decided to infiltrate the secret passage.

Adela gave up in the face of my and Mimir’s strong will.

“How is it?”

After infiltrating the secret passage and arriving at the 5th basement floor.

Mimir asked me.

Whether I still couldn’t see anything even after entering.

That was the meaning behind his question.

“It’s the same. I don’t feel anything.”

“Even after coming this far, you still don’t feel anything…”

Mimir probably knew it in his heart.

Mimir’s senses are somewhat connected to mine.

He probably asked just in case, even though he knew.

“Adela Steart. How about you?”

“…I can see it more clearly.”

Adela’s complexion is not good.

I had expected it since she was so reluctant to infiltrate.

The unknown monster that Adela sees seems to have considerable power.

‘What kind of thing is it…’

It’s hard to imagine.

A monster that would scare Adela to that extent.

What kind of thing is it?

“It seems like we have no choice but to see it with our own eyes.”

Mimir finished thinking for now.

“Adela Steart. Please guide us.”

“…Yes.”

Adela hesitated for a moment, then nodded with an expression that she couldn’t help it.

It was an expression that she genuinely didn’t want to approach that thing.

“Here. It’s in front of us.”

“How far do we have to go?”

“If we walk at the current speed, about one minute.”

“…One minute? Just?”

Mimir’s eyes widened in surprise.

I’m probably making a similar expression.

“It’s so close, but you can’t feel anything at all?”

“That’s why I was surprised. It’s emitting its presence so blatantly… I can’t believe you can’t feel it…”

“…”

The unknown monster is located one minute away.

Even though a monster that is emitting such a terrifying aura that Adela is so terrified of is so close, I couldn’t sense it at all?

“Mimir. Did your teacher’s Divine Eye ever become this powerless during the Empire era?”

“No. Not as far as I know.”

“How about Lady Elena? Have you ever heard of it?”

“No. Neither have I.”

Lady Elena shook her head.

“Even Veil Stole gave up on trying to deceive Ray’s eyes.”

“Even Veil Stole gave up on it…”

The invincible Divine Eye that even Veil Stole gave up on has been rendered powerless.

“Then, it can be said that discovering this unknown existence in this place is a stroke of luck.”

“That’s right. If that technology were to fall into Veil Stole’s hands…”

If that technology were to fall into Veil Stole’s hands, then we really don’t know what would happen.

For the sake of the future, we must eliminate the unknown monster in front of us right now.

“Mimir. Get ready. There’s a high probability that we’ll be fighting soon.”

“I was already preparing.”

Mimir entered a battle stance.

So that he can start assisting me immediately whenever a battle breaks out.

He finished all the preparations.

“Lady Elena, I’m counting on you too.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

At Adela’s request, Lady Elena also immediately began preparing for battle.

“Lady Elena. If something unexpected happens, please take care of Adela.”

I said, looking at Lady Elena.

“Yes. I know.”

Lady Elena cut me off and gave me a bright smile.

It was a smile full of meaning that said not to worry.

I nodded and turned my head back to the direction we needed to go.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

I slowly walked forward.

About one minute passed.

A half-destroyed iron door came into view.

“…We’ve arrived.”

The unknown monster that Adela spoke of is waiting inside.

“I’ll go first. Please assist me from behind.”

“…Yes. Please be careful.”

I slowly stepped through the broken iron door.

I stepped through the gap in the broken iron door and entered the room.

“This is…”

And at the same time, I was able to confirm the identity of the unknown monster that Adela had mentioned.

“The Primordial Guardian…”

A time far before the Byteiner Empire era.

A distant past called the Mythological Era.

A lazy race that had long since perished, or rather, had perished by its own power.

Not a Drake or Wyvern, but a primordial dragon.

“Dra…gon…?”

A dragon.

The monster’s huge eyes filled my retina.