Chapter 68.4 - The First Year at the Academy - Invisible Mansion 2 (4)
Chapter 68.4. The First Year at the Academy – Invisible Mansion 2 (4)
It was the fourth day since we started the investigation.
I gradually became accustomed to the work and finished the investigation before the date changed the day before.
Thanks to this, the lady at the inn seemed relieved, but the situation was not progressing.
Besides, our improved efficiency does not mean that the number of times we can investigate will increase. Elphimia seems to be annoyed that I have left some spare magic power. The day after I began my investigation, I started practicing wind magic.
I understand her feelings and buy her talent, but I thought it was hard to master.
Her high ability is the result not only of her talent but also of investigating her magical qualities at an early age and training her without wasting time. She has not learned wind magic because she lacks the qualities.
We arrive at our usual path and begin our investigation.
I gave her a word and headed for the roof, but Elphimia just nodded and concentrated on practicing her wind magic.
Her impatience is partly due to the impending period of time at her disposal. There was less than a week of vacation left. I will continue to help on a priority basis, but I won't be able to investigate as much as I used to.
Life and death will be painful for her, so she wants me to make a little progress during the break.
I wonder if that wish has been granted.
That's the first row after we resumed the investigation. I interrupted the seventh magic activation.
I stare at the dark wall that emerges in the moonlight.
I had already fired magic at the wall more than twenty times. I could see how much magic I needed depending on the distance from the wall in my field of vision.
I can't reach it from here.
I turn around and look for the point where it launched so far.
I found the sixth one, but the one before was blocked by a building I couldn't see.
If I had made a mistake on the way to the activation point, that margin of error was too large.
I jumped off the roof and rushed to Elphimia's side.
"I think I might have hit it."
As soon as she said that, Elfimir ran out into the alley.
I stand next to her and look around.
The front of the building is dark, and I can't find anything out of the ordinary in the surrounding buildings.
But perhaps we've stepped into a ward.
Then she shifted.
"How's that?"
"I don't know ……. Let's go back."
We retraced our steps back to the starting point and started walking along the trajectory of my Wind Bolt.
The distance was about 300 meters.
Elphimia concentrates on "Magic Eye: Magic Vision", and I concentrate on "Presence Detection" with my hand on the hilt.
What might happen in the future? If something happens, Elphimia and I will leave.
After passing through the third and fourth times, it was in the middle of the fifth time that Elphimia's foot stopped.
Then I looked left and right and turned left.
The wall is in front.
So was that a misidentification of the wards? I've been through it once, and I still can't believe it.
I followed her silently, trying not to get in the way.
I noticed that the whole scene had changed.
Warehouses, large and small, were lined up in a row, and a winding road led between them.
The road was wide, but I could not see a thing.
After a while, I sensed the presence of countless people.
I stopped Elphimia and peeked around the corner of the warehouse.
Men with lanterns on their waists were patrolling.
I used "Appraisal" on them, but they didn't have any suspicious skills or magic. From their equipment and abilities, they appeared to be mercenaries or similar occupations. Their strength was E to D rank.
I continued to watch them. They entered one of the warehouses while chatting.
Elphimia also seemed to have confirmed this with a "Basic Appraisal" and muttered in a tension-free voice.
"Looks like they're just security guards."
"Some trading company must be renting it. Is the direction over there?"
"No, this way."
With that, Elphimia entered a side street.
The side street was narrow because it did not face the loading dock. The crowded warehouses were so intricate even without warding, one's sense of direction was likely to be confused.
There was no sign of life in the surrounding warehouses, and our footsteps echoed through the deserted town.
It is like an abandoned building.
In the faint moonlight, we continue on our way.
I wonder how long the silence lasted.
Suddenly, Elphimia stood in front of an alley.
It was even narrower and enveloped in deep darkness.
Elphimia reached out a slender fingertip and gently stroked the darkness.
"There it is."
She looked back, her eyes filled with a monstrous light.
Almost swallowing her, she hurriedly shook it off.
"Is it a ward ahead? It's too dark to see anything anyway. Didn't you inherit ‘Night Vision'?"
"Unfortunately."
Elphimia smiles thinly and holds out his hand as he activates his "Night Vision".
A girl lures me to a mysterious mansion lurking in the darkness, huh?
It's all fantasy, isn't it?
With a wry smile, I grasped it, and Elphimia stepped into the darkness.
Pulling me along, I stare into her eyes.
We pass the first warehouse and move on to the next.
The occasional glimmer of light reveals an indescribable scene.
As I moved forward, I was dragged into the darkness and slipped through a wall that stood in my way.
The discomfort was intense because of the man-made nature of the place.
Reaching out to the walls on either side, I could clearly feel the texture of stone. I am not sure if they are real or if I am misinterpreting the warding.
While I was gawking at the fantastic maze that unfolded one after another, the world suddenly spun around.
This sensation, I finally get out of it.
But this is.
I forget to let go of my hand, and I'm gazing at the scene in front of me.
What emerges in the moonlight is a circular square.
And a collapsed mansion.
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