53 – Episode 53
# 53
Talian Viscount’s tomb was dark.
It’s like a scene from a movie or drama, where the lighting is turned up bright for filming, so you can’t gauge how dark a place without light actually is.
But the darkness Ian experienced in the cave went beyond imagination.
A perfect darkness that felt like losing sight.
Pure darkness where you couldn’t perceive anything passing in front of you.
[Inian! Shall we play together again?]
[Let’s play together! Inian!]
The mystery of the darkness excited him.
Inian recalled the time when he had followed Eredis into the cave.
At that time, Eredis found it fascinating that Inian could hear the voice of the darkness. Darkness is shy, and it doesn’t often appear in front of others because it hides its face a lot.
“What? It hides its face? It’s shy?”
Inian stuck out his tongue while looking at the darkness swirling around him.
Then what about those little fellows?
The darkness liked Inian to the point of being suspicious. It even tagged along, saying let’s play together.
Inian didn’t understand what they meant.
He had never played together with them before, so why were they clinging to him, saying let’s play together?
[Ian! Lie down on the ground as usual!]
[Sure! While growling too!]
[Let’s do the same as Ian!]
“…”
As the darkness whispered, Ian was dumbfounded.
Surely, the game you guys are talking about… isn’t it about sleeping at night?
But listening to the conversation, it seemed to be true.
While Ian was asleep, the darkness imitated his sounds, rolled around next to him, and had fun playing with Ian(?).
It wasn’t some Hongcheol-less Hongcheol team.
Playing with an Ian who wasn’t Ian?
The darkness, which happily circled around Ian, fled as Belenka lit a torch.
[Oh no! It’s light!]
[No, I hate it!!!]
As the darkness screamed, Ian couldn’t help but get annoyed.
“Hey, Belenka. Can’t you turn on the torch gently? The darkness is running away.”
Belenka was speechless.
“Say something that people can understand. How on earth do you turn on a torch gently?”
“Well…”
As Ian chuckled, Belenka lowered her head.
Seeing her occasionally spouting such nonsense, it was clear that she was a magician.
I don’t know what’s going on in my head.
“Ian, do you not need to turn on the light?”
“Well, actually, it’s more convenient without torches.”
Although all around was filled with darkness, Ian didn’t feel any discomfort.
Thanks to his skill, Dark Vision.
Bellanca found Ian’s behavior quite fascinating.
“If we consider the possibility of an ambush, it would be better to move with the lights off…”
Lucy hastily shouted, afraid that Bellanca might suggest turning off all the torches.
“That is absolutely not allowed!”
“Why? Ian can guide us, right?”
“Well, it’s scary!”
An ambush is an ambush, and scary is scary.
It’s scary!
Scary! Scary! Scary…!
Lucy’s voice echoed for a long time.
Then Lucy screamed and sat down in her place.
“Eek! Ian!”
“…?”
Ian suddenly looked at Lucy, who had started to freak out.
Why is she acting like that again?
“I, I think there’s something below!”
“? Probably grave robbers.”
“Not grave robbers!”
Lucy exclaimed with a pale expression.
“It’s a monster!”
“???”
It’s a monster!
It’s a monster! It’s a monster…!
As the echo rang out again, Lucy covered her mouth in horror.
Then, she lowered her voice and whispered.
“Did you all hear that sound?”
“Well, I did hear it.”
“I heard it too, Your Grace.”
The medieval people began whispering among themselves, sharing a secret that only they knew.
Ian discreetly realized that they were talking about the echo in the cave…
Really? Are they seriously discussing the echo like that?
“It’s a monster! It must be a monster!”
Lucy said, imitating Lucy’s behavior.
It meant she was being stubborn.
“In my opinion… it might be a demon.”
“Ah, a demon?!”
Beside me, the priest also reacted strongly – with actions like Lucy.
Wasn’t he an intellectual? Why did someone who studied the Bible so diligently?
“This is definitely the underworld. If demons appear from the ground, there’s nothing strange about it.”
The priest quickly drew a holy symbol and spoke.
“Since the eyes of heaven cannot reach here, everyone should be careful.”
… It was because of the Bible.
The priests had a habit of interpreting anything related to the Bible according to what was written in the Bible.
Since this place was the underworld, they naturally interpreted it as the mischief of demons.
It was a kind of curse of knowledge.
Ian couldn’t understand why medieval people would freak out over mere echoes.
Ah, is there no true intellectual armed with reason and rational thinking, instead of superstitious interpretations like monsters and demons!
At that moment, Belenka stepped forward.
Unlike the ignorant imperial guys, maybe something would be different if it was a knight from the Eastern Kingdom…!
“It seems everyone was confused because it’s their first time in a cave.”
“B-Belenka? Do you know what that is?”
“I’ve heard of it before. That’s not a monster or a demon.”
“Then…?”
Belenka confidently spoke.
“It’s a fairy.”
“Fairies?”
“Yeah. They live in caves and enjoy teasing people. They have the ability to mimic other people’s voices.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Upon hearing this, the medieval people laughed heartily and nodded vigorously.
“Oh! So it was a fairy!”
“I knew it! I didn’t think they were so fierce!”
“A fairy… better than a demon. They won’t harm us, right?”
hahahahaha!
The mysterious voice must be a fairy~
“…”
Not fairies, you lunatics.
Ian didn’t even have a chance to explain.
The medieval people had already concluded that the voice of the riddle echoing in the cave was the work of fairies.
Ah, it was not a terrible monster or an evil demon.
It was a cute fairy.
A world where no one gets hurt…
Except for Ian, who knows the truth.
Ian thought to himself.
What’s the point of saying, “Actually, fairies don’t exist! It’s just a scientific phenomenon where sound waves bounce off the curved walls”?
What kind of response would he get other than a cold stare saying, “What are you talking about, Ian?”
Insider Special) Knows how to grasp the flow of conversation.
Outsider Special) Obsessed with facts.
If Ian had been a sociable insider with good human relationships, he would have laughed along here and said, “hahahahaha! You’re such a mischievous fairy!” But Ian was an engineering student in his previous life. He was serious about science. Calling it a fairy over an echo! Ugh! I can’t stand it! If he could only bring the medieval people’s ignorant common sense to the modern era, Ian vowed to sacrifice himself to become an outsider, willingly. “Actually…” As Ian opened his mouth, everyone paid attention to him. That was the moment. [Teehee] [As expected, pranks are fun!] “…?” A whispering voice tickled Ian’s ear. It’s a voice he has heard before. The voice of the wind. [Who’s not shouting?] [We can spread it!] Ian opened his mouth wide.
A moment of common sense.
Sound is a wave that spreads through the air as a medium.
Even just looking at the 1st grade middle school science textbook, you can know this fact.
“If this is the voice of the wind?”
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the person spreading the sound as an echo… was the mystery of the wind…!
A tremendous shock struck Ian’s head.
A shock that made the common sense of modern people shatter into pieces.
Right. This is a fantasy world, not modern South Korea.
I shouldn’t cling to modern scientific knowledge.
“Ian? Why are you suddenly like that?”
“Do you know anything about that strange resonance?”
Ian realized.
Sound is just a phenomenon where vibrations spread through the air…
But in this medieval fantasy world, it could also be seen as the mystery of the wind spreading the sound!
“That voice is not from a fairy…”
Ian muttered.
“It’s a phenomenon caused by the mystery of the wind.”
“Oh…”
“The mystery of the wind?”
[Acquired a new skill!]
[Aerokinesis – Manipulating Sound]
[It is the ability to control the vibration of the air to manipulate sound.]
Ian immediately spoke to the mystery of the wind.
“[Oh wind, no voice, no transmission!]”
[Do not spread your voice?]
[Why not?]
“[For fun!]”
[Oh! Are we going to play a prank together?]
[I’m not sure what it is, but it sounds fun! Let’s do it!]
Ian, who controlled the mystery of the wind to prevent the sound from spreading, immediately shouted loudly.
“Yee-haw!”
“…”
“…”
Lucy and the medieval people were surprised.
The echo that had been resounding just a moment ago… didn’t sound at all!
“Wow… Is it for real?”
“The wind’s mystery worked, huh?”
The mysterious voice was indeed the mystery of the wind~
It was a much easier explanation to understand than talking about waves and the properties of air.
“The description of it being the work of fairies is not entirely wrong either. The wind is sometimes described as a mischievous fairy.”
Ian smiled brightly as he explained, and the medieval people nodded with a deep sense of satisfaction.
Of course. This is right for medieval people.
Ian had become someone who could explain things at eye level with medieval people.
#
Although he told them to wait outside, there was a bird that stubbornly followed Ian inside.
It was Oberon.
“Caw! Master!”
[I’ve caught a strange bug!]
Oberon proudly held out a bug. It was a common beetle that could be seen outside.
But it was very unnatural to find it in the middle of an underground cemetery.
Why would there be a beetle where there is no grass?
“It seems like it was released by a magician.”
Ian immediately noticed that the owner of the bug was a magician.
“Everyone, be careful. There’s an enemy nearby.”
Ian warned his companions in advance.
The effect was immediate.
Someone shouted a magical incantation towards Ian’s group!
“[Earthquake! Shake!]”
‘Maronius, huh?’
As they became more accustomed, they became familiar with the magical language, Maronius.
There is only one being capable of shouting the Maronius spell.
Only a wizard.
As soon as he heard the enemy’s incantation, Ian retaliated.
“[Oh Earth! Remain still!]”
Ian shouted, and the trembling ground fell silent again.
“[Oh Earth! Tremble!]”
“[Oh Earth! Remain still!]”
When the wizard shouted, Ian immediately prevented the spell from activating.
After doing that a couple of times, the Earth became furious.
[Stop! What are you trying to do! Pathetic humans! Do you want it to move or stay still!]
Ian smiled gracefully and apologized.
“[I apologize for making you uncomfortable.]”
[Get out of here! If you want to fight, fight amongst yourselves! I’m leaving!]
The connection with the Earth was completely severed.
For now, he couldn’t summon the Earth’s mysteries from this place. In another sense, it could be seen as blocking the enemy’s Earth magic.
Soon, the looters, including the wizard, revealed themselves.
The wizard was an old man with a sour expression.
He looked at Ian with a stern gaze and said,
“You handle magic very skillfully. Are you an Earth mage?”
“I have learned Earth magic… But who are you?”
Then the old man frowned and spoke.
“Irinyan Kait. The wizard who stayed in Drenheim.”
Irinyan?
Ian had no idea who Irinyan was, of course.
“And you?”
“Ian Eredis. Some people also call me by the nickname Raven.”
“Eredis?”
Irinyan was surprised.
“Are you talking about the fire mage Eredis?”
“If you’re asking if my master’s specialty is fire magic, then yes, it is.”
Irinyan looked at Ian seriously.
He knew that Eredis had a disciple, but he never expected to meet him in a place like this…!
At that moment, Lord Mud stabbed Irinyan’s back.
“Inspiration. Don’t even think about running away now.”
“…”
To be honest, he did consider running away for a moment.
For Irinyan, it would have been enough to just see the magic sword. But Lord Mud, who came to capture him, was someone whom people would kill for knowing.
Unlike Irinyan, who Ian could protect, Lord Mud’s life would be as good as dead if he got caught.
It would be foolish to betray him in a situation where Lord Mud was watching closely.
Inrian shouted.
“Eredis’ disciple, Ian! I’m sorry, but we’re taking the Talion Marquis’ treasure!”
Ian glanced at Lucy and said.
“Is that so? Lucy?”
Lucy responded with a stern expression.
“I can never allow that.”
Inrian noticed that the girl was the Talion Marquis.
There was no room for negotiation.
Reluctantly, Inrian shouted the magical language to subdue Ian and his group.
“[Oh wind! Answer my call…].”
This time, he planned to persuade the wind with a higher-level language so that Ian couldn’t interfere.
But Ian was not someone he expected to be so unpredictable.
“Belenka!”
As soon as Ian shouted, the female knight in black armor charged towards Inrian like an arrow.
“Protect!”
After all, mages need someone to protect them in close combat(?).
The tomb raiders rushed out to protect Inrian, but Belenka was not someone that just a few people could stop.
“aaah!”
In the blink of an eye, Ian chuckled as he watched Belenka break through the enemy lines.
It seems that old man is quite a capable magician…
No matter how skilled a magician is, if they don’t have time to use magic, isn’t that useless?
Ian, who knew the weaknesses of magicians well because he was one himself.