Royal Magician – 201

Chapter 201 – Beyond the Clue


Last night, I was able to narrow down the places that were the likely source of the mana-dense water.

A current that curved gently, the closer it was to the St. Clueless Cathedral in the center of the city.

As I walked down the streets, I watched the large fence and security guards in the corner of my vision.

And then there were the thick magic barriers that loomed up high, changing the color of the sky into something darker.

The cathedral was where the Saintess lived.

Over fifty magic formulas were used to make the layers of barriers. There was nothing like it anywhere else on the continent. And though I was in awe and wanted to stare, I held back the urge for now.

I reached the river near the back and quickly started to clean it.

The place that I had meant to clean today as a request.

But as I was not officially hired, I just did the bare minimum, in order to continue with my experiment.

I gathered water every twenty meters and checked for a reaction.

(Found it. Here…!)

The water where it was the thickest was coming out of a hole which was just large enough for a human to pass through if you crouched.

Inside, it was completely dark.

And so I took out the small lantern I bought yesterday and went inside.

Thankfully, it did not smell too bad. Though, the air was unpleasantly warm and damp.

After advancing a little farther, the way was blocked by a wire net.

I used the lantern to illuminate the far back.

The passage expanded even wider.

I then touched the wire netting and inspected it.

At a glance, it seemed quite common and rather old.

However, on further inspection, there were several things about it that were strange.

The rust and dirt on it looked quite unnatural.

This was a common phenomenon when one used time magic to make something deteriorate faster.

(This must have been added more recently then.)

I carefully used wind blades to cut it and walk through.

The path ahead branched into two.

I gathered some water in a vial and added some magic stone powder I had prepared. And then I waited.

(So it’s the right side that has mana.)

And I took the right path.

When I turned around, the light from outside was now too far away to be seen.

I was very deep into the tunnel now.

The darkness was so thick, that I could barely see what was ahead of me.

The small lantern felt so unreliable.

(Another branching path…)

This time, it split into three.

I checked the water and once again chose the right one.

(What is the presence of magic energy…)

I could sense it. Something with incredible energy was up ahead.

I lifted my lantern and squinted.

At first, it seemed like there was nothing there.

But that wasn’t possible.

I looked carefully, and then I suddenly noticed it.

The color of the light changed a little.

There was an invisible wall with layers of magic formulas woven in.

I gasped.

It was so beautiful that I lost track of time.

I moved my face closer and inspected the structure.

The thick magic barrier was using holy magic.

(Is this…)

A certain possibility entered my head. But I dismissed it.

That was ridiculous

I closed my eyes tightly and looked at it again.

But the results were the same.

And I was starting to feel more sure of it.

Even though I wanted to deny it.

“You have to be kidding me…”

I stood there, stunned.

What was in front of me, was the largest magical barrier on the western continent.
The barrier that was surrounding the St. Clueless Cathedral.

It was a well known fact that water would contain a little mana after passing through magic barriers.

(The increase in mana within the water occurs because the mana in the barrier reacts with the electrons in the moisture. The structure of the barrier and the amount of mana have almost no effect on this. But the concentration detected here could never be the result of a reaction from a magical barrier.)

In other words, there was something behind the barrier that was the cause of this irregular concentration.

Due to my experience with fighting alongside the members of Unit 7, I could assume that they had special relics that allowed the user to enhance their magic energy and body.

And so I had assumed that following the water would lead me to the enemy base.

(But the cathedral…)

This part was unexpected.

There were two possibilities.

The first, was that this water pollution was occuring due to something inside of the cathedral.

There other, was that The Order had infiltrated the cathedral and were active within.

The cathedral was holy ground in Claless, and known for having incredibly tight security.

I had no idea how I could ever get inside in order to pursue the enemy.

On top of that, the idea that the culprits of the Saintess assassination attempt were inside… Even though I was an outsider, it was still horrifying.

And so it was better to think that it couldn’t be possible.

However, my instincts were telling me that there was an enemy up ahead.

(Perhaps the cathedral and The Order are actually connected.)

If that was the case, they would be responsible for the assassination attempt.

(That being said, I can’t be worried about the Saintess now. I have to enter the cathedral in order to save Luke.)

I stared hard at the magic barrier in front of me, and tried to think of a way to break through it.

It was no use.

No matter what, I could not break it alone. I could not even open a small hole.

(There must be some other way… But how…)

I was so lost in thought that I did not realize it.

That someone had followed me from behind, and was waiting for me to lower my guard…

It came up beside me.

A flash of metal in the dark.

I sensed the wind, and dodged it in the nick of time.

Strands of my hair were cut and flew in the air.

The lantern fell to the ground with a clang.

As I focused my attention on the enemy in front of me, I sensed the presence of something else to the side.

(There’s another one…!?)

I immediately twisted my body.

The enemy was trying to finish me off quickly, with close quarters, physical blows, so that I could not use magic.

They had weapons and were larger and more skilled than me.

However, I was rather good at fighting in the dark, as I was able to detect things around me from the wind.

And if they lowered their guard because I was a small girl, then I could take advantage of that.

A blade slashed at my skin.

I winced from the pain, but then unleashed my magic punch at them, knocking them both unconscious.

That’s when I realized there was a third person hiding in the dark.

Paralyze Lightning.

The magic attack paralyzed my entire body.

I lost my balance.

I could not stand.

As I crumbled and lay on the ground, I felt the water flowing against my face.

And then my vision blurred.

The magic reminded me of him…

However, it was definitely not his magic.

I heard footsteps in the water.

And then the flash of a magic formula in the darkness.

“You will have to die here.”

Just as the lethal magic was unleashed—-I dull sound echoed.

And the man crumbled to the ground.

Someone then approached from behind.

“This was my dream. I always wanted to protect someone like this.”

An elegant and kind voice that I recognized.

“The hero has arrived. I came to help you, Noelle.”

My friend, who I used to run in the mountains with, before going to the magic academy—Nina Laurence laughed proudly.

Next Chapter

Leave a Reply