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“Surely the elevator won’t go up the road, right?”

“I just said it a moment ago—”

“No, it’s just that I’m a bit anxious.”

The corridor was dark despite the magic stone lights embedded in the elevator, and only after Catherine and Marta illuminated the area with magic orbs did we exit the lift.

As we moved forward, relying on the orbs’ light through the plain passageway, the source of illumination grew larger, but the brightness remained the same.

This light turned out to be a massive mural.

Etched across the entire wall blocking the passage was a complex, geometric magic circle within a large circle.

Numerous lines inside and outside the magic circle, along with shapes and symbols, were splattered with unintelligible tiny script glowing along the pathways.

Karem had seen various magic circles during his stay at the Mage Tower in Winterhome, but nothing could compare to this one.

It was on a completely different level of complexity and intricacy.

“This must be a seal… so breaking it is?”

“Think of it like a lock. Without a key or a lockpick, the only way to go is to smash it with a hammer.”

“So, we hit it with the holy relic?”

“Perhaps?”

Marta cautiously reached out to the magic circle. A tiny spark jumped as she touched it, making her jerk her hand back.

“Ouch! That’s hot. I can’t even touch it.”

“To think such a perfectly preserved Palatino Empire-style sealing circle exists.”

By now, Catherine had grabbed a notebook and quill.

Though the passage remained dim, the curiosity and thrill in Catherine’s face were unmistakable.

“Wait a moment.”

“Are you going to transcribe it?”

Karem glanced down at Catherine for a moment.

“And what? All of this?”

A magic circle far more intricate and densely packed than any he’d encountered before, occupying the entire corridor?

Compared to the magic circles he’d seen up to now, this one felt like a simple tic-tac-toe game next to an advanced circuit board.

“Hah, surely there’s no way I’d miss something important like this. This notebook won’t be enough to capture it all.”

“So, what will you do?”

“I’ll only note the core components of the magic circle.”

“…And the rest?”

“I’ll memorize everything else.”

Even as she replied, Catherine diligently moved her pen.

She planned to memorize all of that just like that?

It was shocking in an entirely different way.

“Contractor. Then I will transcribe it.”

“Mary? You?”

“Yes. Just tell me where to write.”

“Then—”

At Catherine’s startled reaction, she handed over the notebook and pen to Mary, who swiftly took them.

Sasa—!

“Ooh…”

“Huh…”

Catherine gasped in surprise.

Karem shared her sentiment.

Mary’s arm moved with a speed like a machine.

The part of the magic circle written in the notebook matched perfectly with the script, shapes, and symbols.

Right now, Mary was practically a fairy photocopier.

No, more akin to a fairy camera.

“Looks like you’re not just good at housework?”

“I had another contractor who assigned me transcription tasks before. I practiced a bit.”

“Oh. Now, stop there. Next—”

Catherine pointed to one of the few segments, though there weren’t many. However, the magic circle’s immense density and complexity meant even at this pace, it still took longer than expected.

“Um… Sir Grand Wizard? You understand the situation, right?”

“Don’t worry. It’s almost done.”

Ignoring Marta, who was clearly bored and anxious, Catherine nodded. Meanwhile, Mary closed the notebook with a thud.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. The rest is in my head.”

“Then here.”

Catherine took the notebook and stepped forward. Karem followed, brandishing Skadi’s holy relic.

“Right. You said you might be able to break this seal with the holy relic.”

Catherine exchanged glances between Karem’s ring on his fourth finger and the magic circle, gauging their levels.

“Indeed, if we are forcefully breaking it, that might work.”

“Marta, how do we—”

“Well, um… Maybe hitting it hard will break it? We don’t know the formal way to release it, after all.”

Marta replied, her expression tinged with uncertainty.

“Seems simple enough.”

Agreeing, Catherine silently pulled the left fist with the ring closer to her shoulder before stopping.

Was there truly no way to preserve such an artwork through mere existence? Even if she could record and remember it, it wouldn’t be the same as the original.

And above all, the ring.

The exchange gift they had shared during their coming-of-age ceremony.

Catherine found herself lost in thought for a moment.

Would it be okay to swing this ring around carelessly?

This ring represented the hearts they had exchanged as lovers. Even if it wasn’t an official wedding ring, in borrowed stories, lovers often had big fights over their gifts.

Not only in stories, but reality echoed the same.

An exchange gift between lovers or spouses is proof of their feelings for one another, and treating it carelessly signifies a rift in those feelings.

Moreover, this was a holy relic directly bestowed by a goddess.

Using it as a weapon would be rather irreverent—

Thud—!

Just as Karem’s thoughts concluded, he swung the holy relic without a second thought toward the magic circle.

The dwindling light of the magic circle flickered, rippling like a drop on a still lake.

Thinking back, if there was a punishment to be meted out, it surely would have happened at the fortress by now.

“…Hah, there was no need for concern.”

“Huh? Did you have worries?”

“Nothing at all.”

Catherine was baffled at how easily they managed to use the sacred relic so irresponsibly. It was the second time, yet she still didn’t comprehend it.

“Miss Catherine?”

“…Huh, yes.”

As she gazed at the flickering magic circle that had dimmed a portion of its light, Catherine closed her eyes, palm forward, aiming her clenched left fist at the seal.

Now that she thought about it, how deep of a consideration could that guy actually possess? The one who’d get so blissfully happy just from a scratch on the head.

Wondering if she should pet him a bit more frequently, Catherine steadied her posture, channeling her magic into her left fist, and delivered a clean, powerful shot.

Kuwong—!

The unexpected tremor startled Karem.

“…That sound seems ominous.”

“Hmm. Surely it’s not collapsing—”

Mary, too, felt unease as she glanced up toward the ceiling.

“Surely it can’t be. It’s just the magic I infused into the punch.”

“Even so, the sound—”

“I trained a bit in martial arts just in case I couldn’t use magic. And look.”

Catherine gestured toward the magic circle. Once again, the magic circle’s light flickered and finally extinguished.

One of the lights illuminating the corridor vanished, and shortly after, the walls of the passage began to part, revealing the enclosed space.

Cautiously stepping inside, the group instinctively held their breath at the object illuminated by the orbs.

The enormous creature, surely stretching over a hundred meters, was covered in a dense layer of red scales and black scales that seemed to symbolize violence tattooed on its carapace.

With its lengthy neck and thorny crests sprouting from its body to its head, its horns, growing as if to pierce the sky, resembled a crown.

A gigantic red dragon lay sprawled on the ground, wings curled in, as dust heavily covered its body, a residue of time.

Yet there was one small flaw.

“…Miss Catherine?”

“What is it?”

“That… is a pot, right?”

Reptiles, dinosaurs. Its elongated head did not resemble any ancient dragon, yet it had grand horns befitting its title of the Red Dragon.

A comically large pot sat awkwardly atop its head.

Like a fedora too small for its head.

“It really does look like a pot.”

“Right…”

As Mary and Marta finalized the observation, the four, who had just experienced a mix of awe, instinctive fear, and confusion at the dragon, couldn’t help but be puzzled.

Despite their confusion, Karem and Mary were willing to bet their previous lives and love for work that it was indeed a pot.

Of course, the pot was covered in a thick layer of dust. But that alone couldn’t hide its antique decorations and patterns.

Above all, the divine energy emanating from the pot.

The level of divine power surpassed even their current holy relic—

Fhhh—!

Suddenly, air rushed towards them from behind, and a soft breeze began to blow.

Wind in an enclosed space?

Karem, confused, turned to see the other three frozen in shock, and he froze alongside them.

The dragon’s chest rose slightly.

That meant the source of the breeze was… breath?

“…Indeed, the records aren’t entirely false.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s breathing in, absorbing magic—”

Catherine, who had started to sweat, halted mid-sentence.

Flash—!

The dragon’s eyes snapped open.

As soon as its eyelids and nictitating membrane parted, its bright yellow pupils narrowed sharply, locking onto them.

[…This aura belongs to Naglfar, the corpse-lover.]

The dragon merely stared at the four, but its thoughts resonated in their minds as if it were a telepathy. It felt like a mutter from its own internal dialogue.

Taking advantage of the moment, Karem leaned toward Catherine and whispered.

“Miss Catherine, um… should we say hello or something?”

“I suppose we should.”

“What do we say?”

[No need for such pleasantries, insignificant creatures.]

Instead of Catherine, the dragon responded to Karem’s question.

[Ah! It has been so long since I inhaled outside air. Hmm. How long has it been since these insignificant creatures, whose lives barely reach a hundred years, trapped me below? How long has it been since I was sealed?]

And the dragon continued.

[Even as it stirs my anger to think about how the filthy corpse-lover provoked me, I cannot help but let the memories of that time surge—]

It spoke more than expected.

The endless stream of the dragon’s thoughts echoed in their minds.

So much that their bodies, tense and rigid with instinctual fear, began to relax, just from the sheer volume of its monologue.

“Ahem, my apologies for interrupting.”

[Ah, indeed. I failed to show proper courtesy to long-awaited guests.]

“What… may I ask your name?”

[Y.]

The dragon’s will resonated, short and to the point.

[In your insignificant terms—]

“Wales?”

[Correct.]

The dragon, Wales, acknowledged Catherine’s words.

[To think it’s been so long, the language has not changed much, it seems. So, what brings these insignificant creatures here? I feel as if I would die from boredom if I do not take my own life.]

At this, Karem briefly exchanged glances with his companions and stepped back a few paces with Mary. Catherine was skilled with words; Marta provided the background.

Catherine first briefly explained the matters concerning the fragments of Naglfar, and then Marta detailed why they had come here.

The intrigued red dragon, Wales, lamented.

[Ah, did the empire truly perish like that? A demon lord from another realm has appeared and gathered an army?]

“Were you not aware?”

[No. I was sealed beneath while the empire was at its peak!]

Wales blinked, annoyance creeping into his eyes.

[Thinking back on it, anger rises within me! To be provoked by this damned city, they brought an army to bury me underground and piled a grave on top!]

Wales began to unleash a torrent of sophisticated insults that didn’t feel quite right. If this continued, they’d see the sunrise before it was done. Karem raised his hand.

“Um, Sir Wales? May I ask a question?”

[…Hmph. Displaying such disgraceful conduct before insignificant creatures.]

“Um… You said you would grant wishes if unsealed…?”

[Yes! It was a promise made to lure those who buried me here, how embarrassing!]

Good, so the legendary promise Marta spoke of was true.

A chill ran down his spine. They were on the brink of having the demon tribe ask for wishes, weren’t they?

[Indeed, I personally promised to grant wishes! Two of them! For you to ignore that and leave me in this state!]

So the legend of granting wishes upon release was true.

And not just one wish, but two?

At this revelation, Karem surveyed his surroundings. All seemed to share similar thoughts, as Catherine and Mary exchanged glances with Marta before looking away.

“So, are you granting wishes right now?”

[What are you blabbering about? Being a beast that remembers its past life, you should know better.]

What had he done to realize that? All Karem could do was point back to the door from which they had entered.

“I unsealed that door, you know?”

[That was simply a seal separating the space I dwell in from the outside. The binding seal that constrains me differs.]

Then where was that seal located?

Nothing resembling a seal was in sight, no matter where he looked.

[It’s the pot. The pot, you insignificant creatures.]

Karem and the group’s heads turned in unison toward the pot on top of Wales’ head.

Was that pot the seal?

 

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