“An incredibly boring, yet absolutely fascinating task.”
This was the summary of the past few days’ research, spoken in a single sentence. Ludmilla, who rarely appeared disheveled, wiped away her cold sweat with a handkerchief from an unknown source and leaned back in her chair.
“Is this what it feels like to remove traps laid by the beasts of the southern great forest near the Empire’s border? The feeling of risking your life with every step. We had to stimulate the area very carefully to avoid triggering the core of the space concealed by the mage.”
It was a complex expression, but in modern terms, it meant they meticulously explored the ruins without stepping on any mines. However, there was a very intricate method involved in stimulating the ‘space’.
“Seems like you found it.”
“Yes, I did find it. Though I’m not sure if this can be considered a proper discovery.”
“That’s a meaningful expression.”
“Well, it’s not exactly a decisive clue. Rather, it feels like it gave us another clue to find the real clue. You’ll see, here.”
What Ludmilla handed over with a gesture was a rather large scroll.
“A map?”
“Yes, it’s a map created by the ancient Midlanders themselves. If we were to sell it to collectors in the Imperial Capital, we could easily afford a mansion.”
“Indeed…”
A complete map of the Midland continent from ancient times would indeed be invaluable. Especially notable were the place names of the ancient civilizations not clearly known before.
For example, the Georges Principality and the Argon Kingdom, now considered marginal areas, were territories once ruled by ancient mages.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be the Imperial Magic Tower?”
“Surprisingly, no. Back then, it was called the ‘Council of Truth.’ It frequently appeared in the papers written by the old Glonas school mage.”
“The Council of Truth…”
Khan recalled the old conjurer who was captured alive in a half-crippled state. Maya had suggested sparing him, thinking he might be related to the Followers of Truth, but that wasn’t the case.
“He must have been referring to this. For conjurers, ancient mages are a source of admiration.”
The extension of their fascination with ancient spells.
“So, was the Empire the center of civilization back then too?”
“It seems so. Though it would have been a multiracial nation rather than a human one. But the important part is not that. Do you see the red markings added to the map?”
Khan nodded. The diagonal markings appeared to be added to the completed map, scattered across all of Midland, but they were not initially noticeable.
“Did you find out anything?”
“I can’t say for certain. But if I were to guess, those places are where the mage left something. Be it relics, workshops, or ruins.”
“And the reason for that thought is?”
“First, look at the markings within the ‘Council of Truth.’ Especially the westernmost part, where it says ‘Draco Scale’.”
Western Great Mountain Range.
Upon noticing the diagonal markings to the right of the Western Great Mountain Range, Khan recalled the ‘Mortalia’s Disguise Robe’ that had once lain dormant in the treasure vault of the Argon Kingdom, now a part of his equipment.
“There’s also a marking in the area suspected to be Bates. In Bates, we found the Orb and the underground tablets. And next to that…”
Based on the terrain, Ludmilla surmised the modern names of the areas with diagonal markings. Just by listing the names, Khan could easily recall that these places had dropped Mortalia’s relics or were related locations.
“The markings likely indicate places where the mage left traces of their activities. Perhaps some kind of research.”
A plausible guess. But what’s the reason for specifically using diagonal markings, typically used to indicate wrong answers?
『Hmm, this object seems to be a magic tool.』
“A magic tool?”
Khan furrowed his brows at the whisper from the spirit, who had been quietly eavesdropping on the conversation. Immediately, he checked the item’s information.
“It truly is a magic tool…”
And its grade wasn’t low. Despite being a piece of paper, it was just below legendary, with no less than four options attached.
‘Permanent Sync? Always shares the same state with identical items? What is this even…’
Just as his mind was about to get muddled by the unfamiliar option, Ludmilla’s timely explanation came.
“And that map seems to share its state with other identical maps. There must be multiple such items, and any markings made on one get transferred to the others. Though how a subspace item links to an outside item, I can’t say. But it suggests that there are identical items in other subspaces left by the mage.”
“Does that mean she left a map wherever she went?”
“Not everywhere, but at least in several places.”
If it was purely for personal use, the mage wouldn’t need to leave multiple maps in different locations. Then, what was the mage’s reason for leaving these maps?
“This is just like an escape room.”
“… What?”
“Nothing, just a random thought.”
It was a sudden inspiration.
It seemed like they were discovering clues left by the sorceress to convey something to a specific person or associated target, much like an escape room café. If so, it would mean they’d need to decipher these cross-hatch marks to make the next deduction possible.
“The sorceress covered the entire Midland, leaving maps and marking various places…”
Khan’s gaze, which was scanning the entirety of the map, suddenly shifted to the northernmost part of the map. He noticed belatedly that there were no cross-hatch marks on the snow-covered land there.
Ludmilla, noticing what Khan was looking at, let out a laugh.
“Yes, you’ve noticed it too. The only place the sorceress, who left traces of her travels across all of Midland, didn’t leave any marks.”
“Damn it… Of all places.”
The meaning of the blank area without any cross-hatch marks.
“There’s no way the sorceress, who left marks indicating where she was looking for something all over the continent, would not have visited that land. So, the blank area must mean that she found whatever he was looking for there, right?”
Khan understood this without Ludmilla having to say it. That’s why his expression soured. He was reluctant to go to that place, but it was unlikely for a sorceress who had reached the realm of transcendence to entertain such fears.
But there was a clear question.
What secret could be in that land, where humans, beasts, and greenskins had mutated to become even more ferocious to adapt to the harsh environment?
More importantly, if there was something directly related to the secrets of the world, the original owner of his body, who was unusually curious for a barbarian, wouldn’t have stayed idle. But if such a secret did exist…
“I really don’t want to go there…”
Ludmilla’s smile deepened at his unintended lament. She had figured out their next destination from the beginning and knew that Khan had a particular dread of ‘that place’.
Therefore, she had taken the trouble to persuade him to accept it himself, which proved to be very effective. Although emotionally, he didn’t want to go there, intellectually, he had already accepted that they had to go.
“Yes, we need to go back to that horrid place…”
“Is it that bad? Think of it as going back to your hometown.”
“My hometown, huh.”
Recalling the humiliations he had experienced in that dreadful place early in his possession, something boiled inside his chest.
“You better brace yourself. No matter how much you cry and beg later, I won’t send you back.”
Ludmilla lifted her chin as if to say, “As if I would.” but from Khan’s perspective, knowing the reality of the Hoarfrost Gorge, it was laughable.
‘Well, since you’re so eager to go, you should experience it for yourself.’
—
—
—
Ludmilla, claiming she might have missed something, suggested exploring the interior of the ruins a bit more and retreated back inside. Since heading to the Hoarfrost Gorge required various preparations, Khan agreed with her.
‘This is difficult.’
Nearly two weeks had passed since they stayed at the mansion near the entrance to the ruins of the sorceress close to the City of Stars.
Aries and Leo seemed busy dealing with the descent of Kereaktu, while Maya took care of miscellaneous tasks with Alejandro, occasionally fitting in personal training. Ludmilla remained holed up in the ruins.
“It looks like this won’t be possible.”
Khan crumpled the paper filled with scribbles in a language only he could understand, with a grimace.
“Whatever it is, hurry up and finish. It’s getting boring, locked in this room drawing strange pictures.”
“If you call these strange pictures, that could be dangerous.”
Khan retorted jokingly in Korean, crumpling the paper in his hand.
Despite extensive deliberation, he concluded it was impossible for the entire group to go. Practically, only three or four companions would be feasible.
‘At most, three or four. Any more would be difficult.’
The environment itself made it tough to move with a large group. While Khan could manage, he couldn’t expect others to handle it the way a barbarian would. They needed proper food supplies and specialized winter gear, like the furs of the white wolves of the snowy mountains.
‘Above all, will those people even accept this?’
Ludmilla had to go. Without her ability to finely handle the Orb, exploring the sorceress’s legacy was impossible.
Strategically, taking Aries made sense as well, but the problem was the Goddess of Justice behind her. The God still mistakenly believed Khan to be the Great Warrior of the Warrior God. If Aries and Leo came along, and the God found out the truth, who knew what he would do?
‘It seems like something has happened over there as well.’
He was already worried about how the pantheon gods would view his approach to the world’s secrets. In the worst-case scenario, aries could become an enemy, so he saw no point in taking that risk.
At least not until he figured out the true intentions of the pantheon. After organizing his thoughts, Khan called Maya, who was absorbed in her tasks, to gather the rest of the group.
Once everyone except Ludmilla, who remained in the ruins, gathered in the mansion’s dining hall, Khan downed a drink of the Duchy’s famous liquor and spoke.
“We are going to the Hoarfrost Gorge.”