I saw a terrifying future.
When I rushed to the Lichtenburg Mansion, it was swarming with people.
As I dashed through the crowd in a panic, I discovered one corner of the mansion had collapsed.
When I asked what was happening, the answer was that a sudden purple flash appeared and swallowed Schlus whole…
“Huh… Hah… Haah…”
Once I collected myself, Iris immediately cast the Communication Magic Spell.
I had to inform Schlus about this at once.
What I just witnessed was merely the future 20 minutes ahead.
Considering the time it takes to travel from the Flechette Mansion to the Lichtenburg Mansion, the incident would happen in less than three minutes from now.
– “There’s danger. Get out now.”
It was advantageous to send short messages over encrypted communication.
But I thought this was intuitive enough.
If it was Schlus, he’d understand immediately and escape from the Lichtenburg Mansion.
I didn’t know the true nature of that purple flash, but I believed that just informing Schlus of the potential threat would allow him to respond.
“Coachman! To the Lichtenburg Mansion! Hurry, please!”
“Understood, Miss.”
Nervously tapping her nails, Iris climbed into the carriage.
It was none other than Schlus Hainkel.
If he didn’t know about the future, he might fall easily, but knowing he wouldn’t just sit idle and would boldly combat the situation.
Schlus Hainkel was that sort of man.
A man who could nonchalantly overcome seemingly insurmountable crises.
Thus, there was no need for great worry.
He would surely be fine.
“We’ve arrived, Miss! If you rush out alone…”
The moment the carriage stopped, Iris grabbed her skirt and leaped out, starting to run.
It seemed that she had arrived before anyone had gathered in front of the mansion.
As she dashed toward the front gate…
“Ah.”
She froze, looking up at the mansion.
The leftmost side of the mansion was crumbled as if it had been gnawed away.
The incident had already occurred.
So what happened to Schlus?
“Erica!”
“Iris…?”
She saw Erica trudging over from beyond the gate.
Her eyes were unfocused.
For some reason, she had a blank look on her face.
In that moment, Iris felt her heart drop.
As Erica signaled to the guards, the gate opened swiftly, and Iris was able to enter.
“What happened?”
“Schlus… Schlus suddenly disappeared.”
“Suddenly disappeared?”
“A sudden purple crack appeared and swallowed Schlus whole. He vanished without a trace.”
“……”
Iris’s words fell silent.
Naturally, she assumed the collapsed wall would show signs of a fierce battle.
But suddenly, he was swallowed up and annihilated?
That Schlus Hainkel was prevented from escaping?
It was utterly unbelievable.
“And, Julia too…”
“What? What about Julia?”
“Schlus went to get Julia. He said he’d be the fastest… to take her to safety. Then they both disappeared…”
“Ah.”
“No way this can be happening. There was never a breach in the barrier. There was nothing detected by observation spells. Why… Why on earth…”
Tears streamed down Erica’s face as she crumbled.
In the back, she spotted Madam Lichtenburg sitting there with a dazed expression.
Only then did Iris realize what she had done.
If she had just left things as they were, only Schlus might have disappeared. But because she revealed the future, Julia got swept away with him.
“I’m so sorry. Because of me… Because of me…”
Schlus Hainkel had been eliminated.
By an unprecedented enemy that ignored even the highest barriers and observation spells.
In an instant, Iris felt a darkness enveloping her.
*
It felt strange.
As the dark world revealed through the crack approached me, it felt like I was being sucked in instead.
The moment I got pulled in, I held onto Julia tighter, relying on my sense of touch.
I had become completely deaf and blind because of the Mana Vacuum state.
We drifted in a void dimension, as if in a weightless state.
If I let go of Julia here, it would be the end.
With that thought, I held her delicate waist as tightly as I could.
Julia was probably screaming in pain by now.
“Ability to cross dimensions…”
I could easily speculate the nature of this power.
To attack the interior of Lichtenburg Mansion, one would have to pass through all the multiple barriers.
Yet, there were no signs of barrier breaches, and not even the alarm from the observation spells went off.
An ordinary person might suspect a crow like Henderson who could quietly penetrate even the palace’s barrier.
But as the author, I knew it was possible because he collaborated inside the palace.
Even if the opponent was a Majin, what had just transpired was physically impossible.
“Physically speaking.”
“If it is the Sword that Rends Dimensions… Durandal?”
Of course, if one could rend dimensions, the story would change.
If a crack were opened in time and space itself, one could freely traverse in and out, disregarding all barriers.
They could even send me to the Mana Vacuum realm.
But what was most infuriating was that the owner of Durandal was the Majin Tiltitz.
Why on earth did Tiltitz send me here?
Was there some enlightenment or insight to be gained here?
“No, it can’t be…”
No matter how hard I racked my brain, the only conclusion that came to mind was that Tiltitz had sent me here to mess with me.
After all, I had tried so hard to please her, even offering Durandal.
But she used that very Durandal to exile me to the other realm?
It was absurd to the extent of making me chuckle.
If I had known this would happen, I would have just kept Durandal for myself.
Oh wait, the lake where Durandal was kept was a deadly acidic pond where even entering would get you killed…
“……?”
Tap tap.
Julia gently poked my face with her finger.
Then she held my hand, struggling to point in one direction.
I couldn’t tell what she was saying or what she was doing, but I looked in the direction she indicated.
“Huh?”
I could see something over there.
A faint Mana Ripple effect flickered.
The moment I saw that, I recognized what it was.
An exit.
I didn’t know where it led, but at least it was better than a dimension filled with emptiness.
I needed to head towards that, but the problem was our direction was slightly off.
There was no mana around to inscribe spells, so I couldn’t use magic.
“Hm?”
Just as I was at a loss, Julia grabbed my hand and pressed it to her chest.
I quickly realized what that meant.
If there was no mana to inscribe spells around, I would inscribe it on a person instead.
On a person who was overflowing with mana.
“Is it alright to do this?”
My hand trembled.
Was this really the only way?
There was no way that using someone’s blood vessels would have a beneficial effect on them.
What about using my own body?
The chance of failure would be high.
My internal circuits were too dense.
On the other hand, Julia’s were simple, and she was in a state ideal for inscribing spells.
“There’s no time to hesitate.”
If I delayed even a bit, it would all be for nothing.
There was no guarantee another exit would appear before we starved to death, and they might not appear at all.
Thus, I had to use magic right now.
“I’m sorry.”
I found a blood vessel on Julia’s elbow, pressed down, and made a small cut.
The internal circuits and the core of her heart were clearly visible to me.
It suddenly struck me that Julia’s internal circuit core resembled mine.
There was no time for useless thoughts.
I hurriedly inscribed the Gravity Spell inside.
The mana that rushed in instantly activated the spell, and we began to turn towards the exit.
“I’m going in.”
As we got close, I felt like I was being sucked into the exit.
Then, in an instant, my senses returned.
At least it was a relief that mana existed in this world.
“Where is this… Ugh.”
“Ugh?!”
As the surroundings brightened, I felt a strong hit to my tailbone.
I fell flat on my butt.
Yet, I managed to avoid crushing Julia as I landed.
I checked to see if Julia was unharmed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. But what about Schlus?”
“I’m okay too.”
“You fell from almost the third floor…”
“……”
When I tried to get up, I realized I had no feeling in my lower body.
Oh no.
I quickly bought a low-grade Recovery Potion from the shop and gulped it down.
Maybe it was because it had just happened, but I managed to heal completely with just a low-grade potion.
[Shop]
[You can purchase items using Shop Coins.]
[Coins Available: 0]
“Oh no, this is bad.”
After buying the Recovery Potion, my shop coins were depleted.
If something like this happened again and my spine shattered, I’d be stuck as a cripple.
If I had known, I should have practiced Healing Magic beforehand.
Even though I had a vending machine for automatic recovery potions, I had been too carefree.
“Where is this place?”
“You look really calm.”
“I was startled at first. But then I saw Schlus handling it all silently and expressionlessly in that dark space… So I guess I calmed down just by following his lead.”
I was in a state where my eyes and ears were useless, yet I was acting all mechanical.
In reality, I was panicking and confused.
Yet, it was fortunate that this helped to calm Julia down.
“Ugh… First, let’s figure out where we are. I have no idea either.”
“Ugh?!”
I picked up Julia and stood up.
Then stretched before us was a scenic view of a breezy, lush green meadow.
It felt incredibly peaceful.
However, there weren’t even buildings or signs of people, let alone livestock.
Could it be an uninhabited area?
“This scenery, somehow feels familiar to me.”
“That’s strange. I just thought the same thing.”
Since both Julia and I felt that simultaneously, it likely wasn’t déjà vu.
Surely it wouldn’t be a scene from the real world either.
If so, it must be a scene from my novel, somewhere on the continent.
Could it be that we returned through the exit?
If so, that would be great.
“Schlus! Look over there…”
“Yeah?”
Julia pointed with a shiver behind me.
The moment I turned to look, my words were seized.
“Uhh…”
A crumbled castle wall.
A vast city in ruins.
Given the moss covering the remnants and the ivy engulfing it, it was evident that the city had collapsed long ago.
But the most significant issue was—
“That’s the Empire.”
“Yes…”
No matter how I looked around, that ruined city was where I just had dinner in the capital of the Freya Empire.
