Book Eater

Chapter 193: Around the Desert (3)

Theo was forced to adjust his idea of the crow’s usefulness after an hour. He had only called on Hugin because Mitra was unavailable, but the information he got was far superior to Mitra’s perception.

Indeed, height makes a great difference.?

Mitra’s ability was limited to the ground, but Hugin soared to heights that gave Theo a wide field of view. Four hours after the carriage stopped, the sun was starting to fall below the horizon. It was then that Theo spotted something glowing in the distance.

He gasped. “Uh?!”

Veronica hurriedly moved to him. “Kid, what happened?”

The crow evidently liked sparkling things, because it had zeroed in on the silver in a way that startled Theo. However, it only took Theo a moment to adjust. It was a structure that had stood proudly in the desert caused by the sand dragon, Desertio. Additionally, the radiant silver that hurt his eyes matched Paragranum’s previous description.

The gleaming six hundred meter hemisphere rose from the sand, made from an alloy that even masters would find difficult to scratch.

“I’ve found the ruin.”

The investigation team grew tense. They were glad to reach their destination, but it was also occupied by enemy forces. The party’s gait became more cautious. They carefully started to make their way toward the dome.

... There.

The investigation team could now also see the outline of the ruins Theo had seen from the distant sky. A flag marked with two swords was flying proudly. The black knights from Andras were also patrolling the ruins.

Theo spoke, “A patrol of Shadow Knights will pass three hundred meters ahead.”

Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “How many?”

“There are twelve people on patrol and based on the barracks, forty people in total.”

“That’s a considerable force. Isn’t the value of this set of ruins quite high?”

Unlike Quattro, Veronica had crossed paths with Andras several times, so she knew the meaning of this number. The Shadow Knights were the hidden swords of the Andras Empire. Sending forty members to this distant desert indicated how much Andras valued these ruins.

A moment later, Theo’s expression hardened. “... One of the Empire’s Seven Swords is present.”

Theo had found a familiar face. Black hair framed a cunning face, as the knight lounged under an overhang. It was Andras’ 7th Sword, Lloyd Pollan. Theo didn’t have a good impression of him. He was the same swordmaster who had found him in the royal palace and threatened to kill him at the end of the armistice.

“The 7th Sword, Lloyd Pollan.”

“What? That opportunistic bastard?”

However, Veronica’s reaction was unexpected for Theo.

“Opportunistic?”

“Yes, he’s a strange guy. He never falls for a trap, but he’ll always show up if there’s something to gain. He’s also never shown up on a battlefield where Blundell or I are present. He’s trickier than the 4th Sword.”

Veronica’s eyes were blazing at this chance to kill him. The others were also equally excited. The members of Quattro had a great attachment to their kingdom, so they wanted to take this opportunity to shatter the power of the Empire.

In the end, only Mujak and Para moved along with casual expressions.

“Okay, this hill is adequate.”

Theo’s group arrived at a sand dune near the ruins containing the Andras team before long. It was a suitable place to secretly monitor the Andras team. The six people hadn’t been exposed yet.

“The Shadow Knights... It’s my first time seeing them with my own eyes.” William peered over the sand dune and gulped. He knew about the special forces of the Andras Empire, but he didn’t know he would encounter them in this way.

Sylvia couldn’t help tightening her grip on her staff, while Theo was staring at the man called Lloyd Pollan.

Veronica looked at the Andras knights and muttered, “But what are they doing now?”

No one had an answer, since the shadows were certainly acting strange. A group of five people was digging at the ground, while another pair was burying something in the ground. Silver liquid was flowing from the large pits they’d made.

Paragranum was the first to grasp their intentions.

“... Explosives.”

“What, explosives?”

I know that the Andras people are using all types of means, but even explosives?

Veronica and the others turned to Para with surprise, but she didn’t pay attention to them. She continued muttering to herself. What was the Andras team doing?

There were several possibilities, but the important question was whether the war magicians should let them or interfere. If they were confident of winning in a frontal battle, it was more realistic to choose the latter.

“If they’re planning to blow it up, should I use my Breath?” Veronica offered a radical suggestion.

However, Theo considered it seriously. If Paragranum was right, the ruin would be fine even if Veronica used her Breath. Meanwhile, the Andras knights would die instantly. The explosives would blow up, and even Lloyd would find it difficult to survive. It was a chance to get rid of everyone with one attack!

However, the moment when Theo was about to nod with agreement, there was a voice which interfered with the decision.

“No, you can’t do that!” Paragranum, the grimoire in the shell of a girl, suddenly shouted at Veronica. Veronica stopped in surprise, just as the explosives went off on the other side of the sand dune.

Kwakwakwakwa!

There was a massive explosion accompanied by a huge roar. The party wasn’t prepared and quickly covered their eardrums, while the sky darkened with smoke and the earth trembled.

Kukukukung.

The ground shook like an earthquake was occurring. An enormous shock wave burst out, and the sandy field shook. Theo was the first to realize.

... Isn’t the shaking lasting too long to just be the aftermath of the explosion?

The impact of the explosion should’ve ceased already. So, why hadn’t the shaking stopped yet? This meant the shock wasn’t caused by the explosion but from something under the ground. Was it a coincidence or inevitable? Theo glanced at Paragranum for clarification.

He got his wish.

「Mercurius... woke up.]

Theo couldn’t hear it because his ears were still ringing, but he read her lips.

Kukukukukung...!

White liquid started to flow out from beneath the ruin. It seemed the laboratory had a large volume of mercury hidden in it for the purpose of deterring intruders. Now that mercury was taking form.

This was an autonomous maneuver-type guardian that Paracelsus had created out of mercury, Mercurius. This was the name which had been given by the best alchemist in the Age of Mythology to a man-made embodiment of Hermes. The guardian didn’t have a nucleus, which was the weakness of all existences with an indefinite form. It had the ability to multiply again and again, as long as there was a drop of mercury left.

Paracelsus’s guardian took the form of a gigantic snake and declared in a loud voice.

『This is Mercurius’ 76th autonomous movement. It is due to an intrusion attempt without going through the procedures.』

Mercurius gazed at the Andras excavation team.

『Power annihilation..』

Although the sun had only fallen a little bit to the west, the serpent was big enough to cover the sun, casting a huge shadow. As the knights stiffened at the sight before them, Mercurius struck ruthlessly.

It was tens of meters long and weighed several tons. Mercurius’ body, which was entirely made of mercury, was a terrible weapon in itself. The massive snake crushed any Shadow Knights in its path as it lashed outward with a tail swipe.

――――――――――――――!

The simple movement wasn’t enough to destroy all of Andras’ barracks, but it did reach the sand dune where Theo’s party were hiding. Even the wind from its tail was an attack! Mercurius had simply swiped outward, but it was almost equal to magic of the 7th Circle.

“Waaack!”

“Uh!”

“This damn snake!”

Fortunately, Veronica managed to block the wind pressure. Otherwise, the six of them would’ve been blown away.

It reminded them of the scholarly saying, “Mass is a power in and of itself”. The six people hiding behind the sand dune quickly thought about what to do next. There were still a few of Andras’ Shadows remaining, while Mercurius was already readying its next attack. If they didn’t move quickly, they would be late.

“Yellow Tower kid, why did you stop me?”

It seemed like Para knew about Mercurius. Five pairs of eyes stared at Para.

She explained in a matter of fact manner, “That is Mercurius, a guardian of the laboratory that Paracelsus created. Its entire body is made of mercury. If Tower Master had used Breath, this entire area would have become filled with poison gas.”

“Poison gas?”

“Even a sword master can’t escape from the poisonous influence of mercury. Additionally, the gaseous mercury would just condense back into liquid after a period of time.”

It couldn’t be defeated. Everyone thought it at the same time. Veronica’s Breath would only threaten the body. Even if she could evaporate its body, it would just recondense itself. This wasn’t an opponent they could face.

They wondered why Para had omitted the mention of such a dangerous existence.

“Mercurius is a defender who will only use force if people don\'t enter through the door in a legitimate way. It is safer for us to stay back until all of the Andras group are dead.”

“... That would be reasonable.” Veronica nodded but then pointed at something. “Though, isn’t it hard to leave this situation alone?”

The investigation team peered over the dune. On the battlefield, the Shadow Knights were being trampled on like ants. But behind Mercurius, a man was trying to enter the laboratory through a drainage tunnel that had been exposed.

“Lloyd Pollan?!”

“Well, this is what happened. We can’t retreat now. That bastard is going in alone,” Veronica said grimly as she looked at the mountainous Mercurius.

Despite being a sword master, Lloyd didn’t hesitate to run away from such a monster. It might be different if his Aura Ability was focused on destruction, but his ability was just like an ant before Mercurius.

They needed a magician to deal with the mercury serpent. However, the person needed to be at the master level and able to cooperate with Veronica.

“Come, kid. It is our turn.”