Beyond the massive iron door lay yet another wall.
Its surface was gray and rough, like cement. The upper part didn’t connect to the ceiling, giving the impression of a cube. It resembled a matryoshka doll, with a box set inside another room.
「The core structure is made of an iron cage reinforced with hardened mud and lime. The wall’s thickness is about twice the height of an adult.」
「Reinforced concrete…」
Yuzuriha-san’s explanation left me astonished.
Not only did this world possess reinforced concrete, but why had they gone to such lengths to create such an impenetrable barrier?
「This is as far as I was able to infiltrate.」
A voice whispered in my ear—Four Seasons-san.
Remaining unseen, he had opened a small tear on space to communicate.
「Beyond this point, I’ll watch secretly with you through the ‘Fairy Realm’ of Tír na Nog. I can’t help but be curious.」
I nodded silently, recalling his words from yesterday.
According to Four Seasons-san, there had been no sign of anything beyond the wall—no presence, no magical power, nothing. It wasn’t simply because of the wall’s immense thickness.
I could confirm that now, standing before the wall myself.
What could this mean?
It truly felt like an empty void.
Since returning to this world, my sensitivity, perhaps aided by my dark-attribute magic, had sharpened considerably. I could sense directions, predict the weather, perceive emotions, and even tap into something akin to a sixth sense.
For instance, just as I could vaguely discern the inner thoughts of the elders earlier in the roundtable room, I should be able to pick up on anything malevolent beyond the barrier. Even a faint impression would register.
Yet, nothing.
It was as if I were grasping at empty air, unable to feel any presence at all.
「…Chocola, how about your nose?」
「Bark…」
I asked my loyal dog at my feet, but he only tilted his head in confusion.
If even Chocola’s keen sense of smell couldn’t detect anything, it only added to my unease.
I shifted my gaze back to the wall.
In the bottom-right corner was another door, sized just enough for a single person to pass through. It, too, was made of Iron.
I could sense not only a physical lock but also a magical seal. The enchantment, while much weaker than the ones I usually employed, bore a distinct quality.
「‘Indestructible’ enchantment…」
「That one was done by Moata. His affinity with dark magic is exceptionally strong.」
Miyako Veda’s reply carried an undertone of gravity.
「It’s likely that even across this entire land, perhaps the world, there are few who can handle dark magic to his level. Normally, that alone would qualify him for the title of ‘Witch.’」
「Why didn’t he apply for the title, then?」
At my question, both Miyako and Moata’s lips curled into faint, wry smiles.
Miyako’s subtle gesture seemed to express an overwhelming surge of emotion—resignation, regret, or perhaps a firm resolve.
「Sui Hatano, it’s likely that you cannot understand why we cling to bloodlines. That’s fine if our beliefs are irreconcilable. But remember this… the resolve of those who sacrifice themselves.」
Miyako spoke, her tone tinged with both pride and sorrow.
「Moata Purei is one such individual. Despite possessing remarkable talents and the honor to etch his name into history, he cast all of that aside, concealing his claws, and dedicating himself to his duties, unnoticed by anyone. Just as Athenak once did.」
「Athenak… and their duty.」
The clan that had performed the “Crucible Breaking” within the Void Forest.
A people who had grown weary of their responsibilities and left the forest.
Yes, that’s how it all began—because of them…
「Why didn’t you respond to Ejetia’s report? Even when Athenak abandoned their duty and disaster struck the forest, you remained silent for so long. Unnaturally so.」
「There was division among us.」
Miyako answered with a faint, bitter smile.
「There were those who wanted to act immediately—however, there was nothing that could be done. With the possibility of rare species present, there wasn’t a soul in this nation, perhaps even this continent, capable of breaking its Magic Power Crucible or the Teikou. That belief kept them paralyzed.」
Her gaze shifted to Emishi-san, Yuzuriha-san, then Karen, mother, and me.
「And there were those who wished to leave it to fate. Yet, to abandon hope entirely would be a betrayal of our ancestors. No matter how much this world is built upon the sacrifices of our kin, to allow the path to ruin to persist without intervention would render us unable to face the Founders themselves.」
Finally, her eyes moved toward the grand hall, where Kunizae remained frozen in time.
「…Old woman, isn’t that classified information?」
Yuzuriha-san interjected, her voice sharp.
「What does it matter now? At this point, revealing everything is all we can do. We must abandon our pride and principles of the past two thousand years and bow our heads to these outsiders—youngsters with the power we have yearned for, who appeared in this world unbidden. To a novice who has inherited unparalleled talent without the burden of hardship or duty.」
Miyako’s words were like a blade cutting through the air, laced with bitterness.
But it wasn’t malice.
It was frustration, an unbearable anguish. A cry of despair over why they couldn’t solve this themselves, despite all their desperate efforts.
Mother furrowed her brows, and Karen looked like she wanted to object.
I felt the same way.
We—my family, the Hatanos—didn’t come to this place without pain or struggle.
Because of the immense power I hold, our family was once torn apart…
But perhaps arguing that point would only lead to a contest of mutual misfortune.
That’s why I wanted to know—what burdens do the elves of Alfheim carry? What does Miyako-san bear that led her to speak those words?
「What do you mean? ‘The world is built on the sacrifices of the elves’… Athenak certainly worked to prevent the emergence of rare species. But your words seem to suggest more than just that. Almost as if the elves as a whole, or Alfheim itself, are shouldering some crucial responsibility…」
Miyako-san let out a soft sigh and gave an order to Moata Purei.
「Open the door, Moata. Let the guests inside.」
「…Understood.」
Then, turning back to us, she slowly closed her eyes and reopened them before speaking.
「Once you step inside, you’ll understand. What lies within and what is happening… you should be able to see it for yourself.」
※※※
The property “indestructible” was released.
First, the members of the Elder Council entered, with Emishi-san taking up the rear, and we followed between them as we passed through the door.
A space opened up before us.
It was about 40 meters in length, width, and height. Slightly larger than a high school gymnasium.
And within that space, there was a monster.
「This… is…」
If I were to describe it, I’d call it a dragon-shaped insect.
Its entire body was covered in a blackened, armor-like carapace. At the end of its long neck was a head resembling that of a centipede. Its back bore insect-like thin wings, similar in structure to a beetle’s.
Its thick torso resembled that of a dragon, but it had six legs, each jointed like those of an insect, with claws at the tips shaped like those of a beast. Its long tail was reminiscent of a scorpion’s, tipped with a thick, sharp stinger.
The creature was enormous. Likely even larger than a fully-grown dragon like Ji-Liz. Even in this vast space, its sheer presence made me want to instinctively step back.
Yet it didn’t move a muscle. Like a photograph, a corpse, or a moment frozen in time, it remained utterly still, without a single sound.
And it wasn’t the only thing unmoving.
Surrounding the monster, like its smaller offspring, were numerous small insects suspended in midair.
There were about twenty of them.
Each was roughly the size of a child’s head. They resembled a hybrid of a cicada and a bee, and from their heads sprouted tiny crucible crystals.
「Those… those are…」
Mother murmured in shock.
Emishi-san, sharing her astonishment, spoke in a low voice.
「That’s right. They’re the mutants that appeared during the ‘Great Outbreak.’」
「Then… the ‘Great Outbreak’ back then started here?」
Emishi-san nodded silently before continuing his inquiry.
「Sui-kun. You and your companions faced a rare species in the Void Forest, didn’t you? You should know what that monster is—and why it’s frozen in place.」
I forced my breathing to deepen, even as it threatened to grow ragged, and replied.
「That thing is a rare species. And a very dangerous one at that. It’s far beyond the chimera we defeated in the forest. The surrounding mutated insects are probably its offspring. And what’s stopping it… is dark-element magic. Most likely the same kind as my *Shinkō Teitai*—causal delay.」
The mystery of the “Great Outbreak” that struck Alfheim 20 years ago was solved.
The insect-like mutations that suddenly appeared across the nation, all of the same form, had originated from within the country itself—
「*Shinkō Teitai*… Causal delay is a magic that mimics stopping time. But it’s only a simulation. It merely stretches out the effects of causality. In other words, while it looks like their time is frozen, it’s actually moving forward incredibly slowly.」
「Eighteen hundred years.」
Yuzuriha-san’s voice was heavy.
「That creature and its brood have been advancing for 1,800 years, ever since this nation was founded. Twenty years ago, part of the swarm finally moved beyond the magic’s effective range. Freed from its grasp, they broke through the walls and rampaged across the country. …That’s the truth behind the ‘Great Outbreak.’」
「No way…」
Eighteen hundred years?
If that thing—that insect-like, dragon-like monster—is a rare species from prehistoric times—
「The very Demon King that Four Seasons-san and the others fought…?」
My hands trembled in shock.
My body felt cold, yet sweat trickled down my back.
This… this monstrous thing… Alfheim has been harboring it within its borders since the day it was founded?
「Sui, look.」
Karen pulled on my hand.
Her voice was shaking, her fingers cold against mine. Despite her trembling tone, the urgency in her words hinted at an even greater shock.
「Over there. Behind the monster’s body. Look closely. …Someone’s there.」
「What?」
I strained my eyes and saw it.
A person.
A woman stood beside the Demon King.
She had black hair and looked like a young girl.
Like the Demon King and its mutated brood, she didn’t move a muscle.
Her ponytail hung mid-sway, as if it had been caught in motion. Her expression was resolute, her right hand raised toward the Demon King—frozen in the midst of causal delay.
An elf. Her pointed ears made that clear.
Yet her features… something about them felt different from the elves of today—
Yuzuriha-san explained gravely.
「That is one of the progenitors. Her name has been lost to time, erased by the 1,800-year seal. …She stopped time, placing even herself within it—and has been standing against that Demon King ever since.」
But more than her words—
More than the heavy truth Yuzuriha-san revealed—
What made my heart race was the voice of my friend from the underworld.
It wavered, thin and strained, trembling as if about to break into tears.
Four Seasons-san and Color-san’s voices.
「Watanuki…?」
「No… Ariko—Alice.」
In that dream we’d seen…
The girl who had embraced Color-san, crying as they parted.
A distant ancestor of Athenak, and of Dolce-san—
Watanuki Alice.
And now, two millennia later, transcending dreams, she appeared before us.
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