Before I even had time to react to the sudden development, the Minimap appeared at the edge of my vision, and a star-shaped marker emerged upon it.
That had never happened before, either.
Something was clearly wrong.
‘Is this object connected to Ragna?’
As it had inside the tomb, the white Status Window seemed to appear whenever I approached a place or object connected to Ragna.
That meant there was a high probability that this white cube was related to him.
In that case, how had it fallen into the hands of the Goblin Chieftain?
[Current Seal Status: Unstable. Return the module to its designated position immediately.]
I examined the white Status Window once more and carefully read the message.
Judging by the circumstances, it was telling me to return the cube to its original location.
It was an unmistakable warning.
Was its designated position the place marked by the star?
‘But that place is….’
“My lord, what is the matter?”
Hakon approached and asked, but I could not answer. I was too absorbed in studying the Minimap.
The star-shaped marker pointed toward the highlands beyond the forest, near the summit of the mountain visible between the trees.
-This is as far as we go. This was not part of our original orders, and I hear the highlands are filled with dangerous monsters. Then we shall take our leave….
Valens left those words behind and returned to Zilvergard with his soldiers.
From his perspective, his mission had ended once the Goblin subjugation was complete. He had no reason to comply with an additional request.
I also ordered Stefan, the other mercenaries, and the indigenous warriors to return.
-Take the Wyvern materials and return to the village. Treat the wounded and hold funerals for the dead. The Goblins should have scattered, so they are unlikely to pose much danger on the journey back.
I had reached that decision because of Rolf’s advice.
With the soldiers gone, attempting to climb into the highlands with an awkwardly sized force would be reckless. According to him, it would be far safer for a small group to move discreetly and avoid the monsters’ attention altogether.
-If we carefully follow the boundaries between the monsters’ territories, we should be able to reach the summit safely. I cannot guarantee it, however.
Thus, only Hakon, Rolf, and I began climbing the mountain.
“Are you certain this is the boundary between monster territories?”
Hakon looked around anxiously.
Open hills stretched in every direction, with only low bushes and pale rocks scattered here and there.
“At least we could hide in the forest. This is open ground in every direction. If we encounter a monster here, it seems we will have no chance of escaping. This looks far too dangerous.”
“……”
“Rolf, can you hear me? Are you certain this is the correct path?”
“Of course I can hear you. You are perceptive, Sir Hakon. In truth, this is not a boundary. We are cutting directly through the center of a monster’s territory.”
“What? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Wait, Hakon.”
I stopped him before he could unleash a harsher response and spoke about what I had noticed.
“We have not seen a single monster for some time. We have been climbing this mountain for quite a while… Do you not find that strange?”
“That is because the master of this territory has left, my lord.”
Rolf continued as though he had been waiting for me to notice.
“This area most likely belongs to a Drake. However, every trace I have seen so far is considerably old. From that, I naturally concluded that the territory’s master is absent.”
“Absent? Are you saying it descended into the lowlands?”
“That is the most likely possibility. It may have died while fighting another monster over territory, but in that case, its corpse should have remained somewhere nearby. In any case, that is why I am guiding you along the shortest route through its territory.”
Rolf was an expert monster hunter, so his confidence reassured me somewhat.
Even so, I did not lower my guard.
“Well, if that is true, I suppose it is fortunate… Still, my lord, are you certain there is something at the summit?”
“Yes. I told you that I discovered evidence inside the Goblin tower. It was merely a crude map drawn upon the dirt floor, but it clearly indicated a place near the summit. It also appeared that they obtained this object there.”
I answered Hakon’s question with a natural lie.
He would never believe that I was following a location automatically marked upon the Minimap by the Status Window, so I had no choice but to invent another explanation.
“To be honest, I remain doubtful. We are blindly entering a dangerous place based solely upon a Goblin’s scribble. Is it truly worth the risk? What is that object?”
“I do not know. That is why we are climbing the mountain to investigate it. It clearly appears to contain magic. We cannot simply leave it alone without even knowing what it is.”
Leaving the silent Hakon behind, I continued onward.
Although I behaved calmly, I felt no more comfortable than he did.
‘A facility and a Seal Module… It is almost certainly connected to Ragna as well. There is nothing ordinary about this.’
Judging by the circumstances, something had clearly been sealed near the summit.
The situation might have been far more serious than I had imagined.
“Rolf, do you know anything about a connection between the Goblins and these highlands? An old story, a legend—anything will do.”
“I have never heard of such a thing. These highlands are filled with dangerous High-Tier Monsters, so the Goblins avoid entering them as well.”
“That is understandable. A single Wyvern nearly annihilated them earlier.”
The sight of the Wyvern suddenly biting the Chieftain to death and slaughtering the remaining Goblins as they fell into chaos remained vivid in my mind.
So did the Goblins’ delight as they called the Wyvern a Divine Messenger.
‘A Divine Messenger… and a god. They definitely used those words.’
With those suspicious terms weighing upon my thoughts as heavily as the Status Window’s warning, we continued climbing.
Before long, we reached the point indicated on the Minimap.
“Is this the place?”
“It appears so.”
I alternated between the Minimap and the scenery before me.
A vast cave yawned beneath a sharply rising peak. Its entrance alone was nearly as tall as a two-story building, so the interior was likely enormous.
“This truly feels like walking willingly toward our deaths. Good grief….”
Despite his complaints, Hakon followed me inside alongside Rolf.
The passage was not long. Before long, it opened into a vast cavern large enough to contain the entire tower we had seen in the Goblin village.
That alone would have been astonishing.
However, none of us paid any attention to the cavern’s immense size.
“Th-This is….”
“What in the world… is that?”
The two men spoke in stunned voices.
Even Hakon’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. It was the first time I had seen such an expression on his face, which was usually either indifferent or displeased.
I was no different.
The sight before me was overwhelming.
‘This cannot be….’
An enormous object resembling a translucent crystal or a block of ice stood within the cavern.
It was so large that it filled nearly the entire chamber.
More astonishing still was the enormous being trapped inside it.
A Dragon covered from head to toe in scales resembling black stone lay completely motionless with its eyes closed, as though sleeping.
It looked as though it were hibernating within the crystal.
“Is that… a Dragon?”
“No. It is an Ancient Dragon.”
My voice trembled as I answered.
Hakon and Rolf turned toward me in shock.
“An Ancient Dragon?”
“How is that possible? Did the Ancient Dragons not disappear long ago?”
As they said, the Ancient Dragons had vanished from the world ages ago.
Nevertheless, the reason I could declare that the sleeping creature was one of them was simple.
The white Status Window that had appeared at the edge of my vision told me so.
[Sealed Entity No. 3 - Ancient Dragon Nokaled]
[Seal Durability: 82.41%]
[Current Seal Status: Unstable. Durability is continuously decreasing.]
After reading the information, I examined the surroundings.
Four Altars had been erected around the crystal.
Objects identical to the cube in my hand floated above three of them.
At last, I understood.
“This is… probably some kind of magical device designed to seal the Ancient Dragon. The Goblin Chieftain must have discovered this place by chance and tampered with it out of curiosity. That caused the seal to begin weakening.”
“The Goblins must have been overwhelmed by this being’s majesty and begun worshiping it as a god. Then the monsters of the highlands suddenly descending into the lowlands was also…”
“Probably connected. I do not know whether to call it the Ancient Dragon’s presence or something else, but a similar power must have begun leaking through the weakened seal. The monsters sensed it, abandoned their habitats, and fled.”
As the theory naturally formed in my mind, I recalled the strange events I had encountered since arriving in the territory.
The Spartoi and the Ancient Dragon Stone.
Even the Drake and Wyvern that had abandoned their territories.
The existence of the Ancient Dragon sleeping before me could explain every suspicious incident.
“Then what should we do, my lord?”
“Returning this should be enough. Do you see that empty place, Hakon?”
I pointed toward the nearest Altar.
Unlike the other three, nothing floated in the air above it.
The cube in my hand had originally been placed there.
“That is simple enough. Then return it at once, before this enormous creature awakens.”
As Hakon glanced uneasily at the Ancient Dragon inside the crystal, I hurried toward the Altar and placed the cube upon it.
[The Seal Module has been returned to its designated position.]
Following the white Status Window’s message, the cube slowly rose into the air and began emitting a far more intense yellow light.
It appeared to be functioning normally.
Then this should be the end—
[Warning: A damaged Seal Module has been installed.]
[Current Seal Status: Unstable. Durability is continuously decreasing.]
“What is the matter, my lord?”
“Something is wrong. I think there is a problem.”
I did not need the Status Window to recognize it.
Crimson currents crackled around the cube, which trembled unsteadily in the air.
Even at a glance, it appeared damaged.
“What happened, my lord?”
“Perhaps the Goblin damaged it while carrying it around.”
I hurried forward and retrieved the cube.
I knew little about magical facilities or machinery, but allowing a damaged device to continue operating might cause even greater harm.
“What are we supposed to do? If we cannot repair it, will that Ancient Dragon awaken?”
“Is there a solution, my lord?”
“I do not know. Give me a moment… I need to think.”
This was disastrous.
I had never anticipated such a situation.
Filled with frustration, I hurriedly opened Ragna’s records.
Seal Module, module repair, Ancient Dragon…
I searched every term that came to mind, one after another.
Nothing appeared.
Had even Ragna failed to anticipate a situation like this?
Did that mean I had to discover a solution on my own?
Just as the hopelessness began weighing upon my chest, Hakon offered a suggestion.
“Then what about finding a Mage?”
“A Mage?”
“I do not know much about these matters, but this appears to be a facility operated through magic. Would consulting a Mage and requesting assistance not provide us with an answer?”
“That sounds reasonable. I know little about Mages myself, but I do not believe Sir Hakon is wrong.”
Rolf agreed with him.
It was rare for the two of them to share the same opinion.
Nevertheless, I had no choice but to shake my head.
“We cannot involve a Mage. If we seek a Mage’s assistance, every Mage will eventually learn the location of this Ancient Dragon.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most Mages belong to an assembly known as Starseeker, where they share information about everything they know, including developments throughout the world. Their network is so closely connected that an event occurring at one end of the continent soon becomes known at the other.”
Hakon and Rolf fell silent, their expressions turning grave.
That was how Mages operated.
If we approached them, the existence of an Ancient Dragon sealed within the mountain would immediately become known.
The consequences might create a disaster far beyond our ability to control.
“Therefore, we cannot involve a Mage. For now, we will search for another solution. Neither of you is to tell anyone about what we have discovered here. You will maintain absolute silence. That is an order.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Understood.”
Hakon and Rolf composed themselves and answered.
The matter was so important that I had no choice but to emphasize that it was an order.
“Good. I have also just thought of one place we may be able to visit.”
A certain being suddenly came to mind.
I was not particularly eager to seek his assistance, but I needed his help.
RUMBLE!
The massive stone door opened by itself before me.
Since I had been registered as a user during my previous visit, it seemed I could now enter the facility freely.
When I stepped into the stone chamber beyond the door, a curt voice accompanied by the clanking of metal reached me.
“What is it? Why have you come? I can tell that your ability has grown, but you still appear unprepared to undertake the second trial.”
“You are right. I am probably not ready yet. I did not come to undertake a trial today.”
Pieces of armor scattered throughout the chamber rose into the air and assembled themselves into a single form.
I watched the process and continued.
“I came because I need your help, Doumar.”