[166] A Dangerous Deal (3)
"Rian, don't be stubborn. Go get healing magic tomorrow."
"I'm fine! I don't have any mortal wounds. Tess's stab still hurts a bit weirdly, though. Hahaha!"
"Rian, the moment you collapse is the moment I die."
Rian's laughter died. The living room fell into a hush. Everyone watched Shirone and Rian in turns, faces tense.
"Shirone, I—"
"I know. You'll protect me until you die. But a split-second choice can decide success or failure. I'd rather you take more of the blades for me. If you keep being stubborn like this, I'll have to rethink entrusting my back to you."
It sounded selfish and cold at first. Asking a friend to take a blade for you was undeniably harsh.
But Shirone knew Rian better than anyone.
Rian was a blaze. The way to grow that fire wasn't with thin praise but by engraving the harsh reality into him.
Rian lifted the corner of his mouth. A hot flame rose inside, burning away all petty feelings.
"Don't worry, Shirone! I'll get myself back to perfect condition by any means! As long as I stand between you and danger, no one will reach you."
Rian sounded like he was ready to get healed right away. Tess, relieved, silently looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
"Phew. Thanks, Shirone. Really, thanks."
Tess had no doubt Rian would one day become the greatest swordsman. But even if he became a blazing sword, she knew the only one who could wield it was Shirone.
* * *
Early in the morning Shirone's group left the villa.
There was a mage guild in the residential quarter. Its influence wasn't great—the Freeman organization held sway over the island—but because it had a healing mage it managed to keep operating.
As a resort, people often got injured when they let their guard down while having fun.
Commoners relied on folk remedies or local doctors, but nobles saw a healing mage even for a scraped finger.
Prices ranged from 1 to 10 gold depending on the wound, and thanks to the Freeman's influence treatment was offered at reasonable rates.
Healing magic stimulates cellular activity to let wounds heal naturally. That differed from doctors, who diagnose causes and apply treatments accordingly.
Among schema users there was a profession called Surgery that performed emergency operations, but mages tended to avoid artificial interventions and follow nature's course.
At higher levels the theory got complicated, but simply activating cells was often remarkably effective—human bodies already knew how to heal themselves.
The healing mage here didn't seem exceptional. Jis's and Rian's wounds weren't light, so it took two hours for all the treatments to finish.
Shirone watched Rian's wounds close cleanly and felt anew the power of magic.
Of course, two hours made it impractical for use in real-time battlefield combat. But in the long run, having a healing mage in the group versus not having one made an enormous difference in combat capability.
After returning to the villa, the group reorganized their gear and stepped back outside.
Healing magic only regenerated wounds; it didn't raise overall condition. Still, Rian's tough constitution made him look brimming with energy.
Jis also seemed confident in his endurance; he didn't look particularly tired and willingly slung his pack onto his back.
Rian eyed Jis's bag curiously. As their guide, Jis was supposed to part ways after entering the autonomous district, so he didn't need much gear.
"Huh? What's in that bag?"
"Oh, that's lunch. Yuna made it while we were being treated. She's actually great at cooking—works at a restaurant."
"Oh, a pro, huh? Nice. Let's eat now."
Rian drooled and moved closer, and Tess pinched his side with a rebuke.
"You just ate. Why are you going for more? Let's head to the ruins. It'd be bad if it gets dark."
Since they'd been there before, everyone agreed it was best to leave early. This time the women didn't complain and finished preparing sooner than usual.
When they arrived about a kilometer from the ruins, the coachman stopped as usual. The group, used to it now, dismounted and walked the rest of the way.
Nothing had changed from their previous visit.
The bustling crowd, the expressionless locals on alert, the tavern where they'd met mercenaries—all were the same.
They headed to a park on the outskirts of the ruins to have lunch. The rice balls Yuna packed were made by chopping leftover ingredients and soaking the rice—an unfamiliar dish, but popular on the island.
When Shirone tried one, the flavor was indeed unusual. Various ingredients came together into a salty, savory bite.
He worried it might be too little, but once eaten it felt heavier than bread and satisfying.
Jis read the note the Freeman had given him. It was brief, but having worked in the organization for years, he quickly understood how the transaction would go.
He led them to the side opposite the entrance to the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice. That entrance, too, was guarded by a local in civilized clothing.
"Hello."
"Who are you?"
"We're from the Freeman organization. When will departure be possible?"
The local sized Jis up, but when Jis showed the pass he quickly told them what he knew.
After exchanging a few words in the native tongue, Jis turned to Shirone. "They said we have to wait for transport. About an hour."
"Transport?"
"Apparently we'll have to ride a mine cart. That's what it said. Anyway, they told us to come back when the cart arrives."
Tess looked around at everyone. "What do we do? Wait here for about an hour, or look around a bit?"
Shirone thought. Was it really okay to enter the autonomous district like this? If it was allowed, why did the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice exist at all?
Tess's guess that it might be tradition could be true, but it felt unlikely. Above all, the place bore the breath of the maze.
"I want to try the trial gate again."
When Shirone suddenly said this, his friends turned to him in surprise. Why take that hardship when they could just enter the autonomous district comfortably?
But Amy thought similarly. There was clearly something beneath the ruins people shouldn't discover. Even if two routes led to the same place, there had to be a reason for both.
The problem was that passing the trial might be impossible. Wasting time on something unattainable would be foolish.
"Do you really think you can pass? Are you going to test it with the laser?"
"Yes. If possible, I want to try."
"And if that doesn't work? The mine cart might be waiting for us. Going into the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice could take a long time."
"Honestly, even if I fail it won't matter much."
Shirone said it casually, and Amy asked, puzzled, "You don't care if you fail?"
"There's one thing that's been nagging at me. I can't be sure yet, but—how about this? I'll go into the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice alone. The rest of you wait here and take the mine cart. That way the timing lines up and we can experience both routes."
Amy thought Shirone's plan reasonable. Shirone had scored highest in the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice, so no one else needed to follow. Besides, if he took the trial alone it wouldn't eat up much time.
"Okay. Then let's head to the trial route."
With Amy's agreement, the group went to the eastern altar. A different local guarded this altar than the one they'd met when entering with mercenaries before.
"Shirone, you remember the passphrase, right?"
"Yeah. You all stay back. Last time someone stood too close and got mistaken for a companion. I'll go in alone this time."
"Alright. It should be fine, but... be careful."
Shirone walked toward the altar. He stopped before he'd gone three steps.
Someone inside was pounding on the door.
The local who had been watching Shirone turned at the sound and activated the mechanism, opening the stone wall.
'Someone else tried it. More challengers than I thought?'
Curious who was coming out, Shirone watched the altar with a pounding heart. When he saw the faces he nearly recoiled.
"Huh? What the—"
Amy, standing behind him, flinched and cried out in surprise.
"What the—how are they here?"
"Why, Amy? Do you know them? Friends maybe?"
"Hmph! Friends? Hardly! They're enemies!"
From Amy's reaction it was clear they weren't on good terms. Rian and Tess, even more curious, kept a close eye on the man and woman who emerged.
From a distance they looked almost like siblings—black hair, black irises, pale faces and a dark aura that gave them an unsettling air.
Shirone stared blankly. They were Kanis and Arin, disciples of Arcane.
'Why are they here?'
Of course they could go where they wanted. But this wasn't a tourist spot; they'd come from a place touched by the maze's spacetime, which made their presence ominous.
Kanis and Arin were equally surprised to find Shirone's group, but they quickly regained composure as if they'd expected it.
"So you lot are here too," Kanis sneered as he approached. Arin, however, shyly bowed. Having been confined in Radum all her life, she wasn't used to social interaction.
Though they'd fought before, she felt she should at least greet them now that they'd be classmates next semester.
"Ah, h-hello, Shirone?" Arin mustered her courage and raised her hand. Kanis glared at her with narrow, fierce eyes. Arin quickly dropped her hand, but unexpectedly Shirone greeted her warmly.
"Yeah, hello. How've you been?"
"Huh? Oh. Just... you know."
Arin answered in a small voice, glancing at Kanis. But when the other person genuinely welcomed her, such hostility seemed unnecessary.
As Shirone slowly lifted his head, Arin—having just witnessed his aura—gasped, mouth agape.
'It was impressive then, but now it's even clearer. Truly a remarkable person.'
Meanwhile Shirone had much on his mind. Their returning from the altar meant the Angel's Eye had judged them unfit.
'As expected, it's not easy—the maze's spacetime.'
As disciples of the archmage, Kanis and Arin were strong. In practical combat experience they were far ahead of many at the Magic Academy.
Shirone had subdued them before, but even with an elemental advantage he had struggled.
Yet even they could not proceed further in the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice and had been turned back. He could only imagine how high the maze's cutoff line was.