The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 364: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, - 2: Puppet

Chapter 364: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, Chapter 2: Puppet

Seeing both of their faces reveal a mixture of astonishment and contempt, even Rebry, who was known for his indifference, felt his face heating up. These rough goods indeed tarnished his reputation. A Mage who could create Puppets should possess considerable skill in painting, sculpture, or literary arts. These Magic Scholars had almost harsh demands for their own creations, uncompromising on principles, and preferred to lack rather than be indiscriminate. A Mage might find it difficult to craft even a few successful Puppets in their lifetime, but they wouldn’t compromise the standards of Puppets just for temporary satisfaction, all to defend the dignity of Puppet Mages. The requirements for Puppets spoke volumes. However, the specimen before them was something he had cobbled together in a matter of days. It couldn’t compare with regular Puppets in terms of materials, and the workmanship was also rushed, which was somewhat of a laughingstock. Yet, due to time constraints for this exploration, Puppets were indeed the best vanguard in such circumstances, and it had been difficult for him.

With a mental suggestion, the Puppet walked forward with brisk steps, surveying its surroundings in a manner reminiscent of high-level Thieves, holding a small Round Shield in its left hand. At the center of the shield was a Lion Head that seemed ferocious with bared teeth, looking rather impressive. However, Komer held doubts about whether this shield made of the same material as the Puppet’s body could withstand impact. In its right hand, it held a Bronze Long Sword that appeared chilling, indeed conveying some presence, and the arm extending from between its neck and back seemed especially odd. The Short Sword it brandished looked more like a decoration than a weapon, but Komer wondered if there was another purpose to this design.

As the Puppet stepped into the Gate-hole, its cautious demeanor was noticeable, or rather, it was acting cautiously under Rebry’s control. Following the rules of Castle construction, there must be defensive mechanisms inside the door to prevent enemies from invading casually. The Puppet brandished its Round Shield and Long Sword, as if to bolster its courage, which looked amusingly adorable to Komer. He hadn’t expected Rebry to endow such a lively personality to the Puppet. While this could enhance the Puppet’s adaptive and perceptive abilities, it required the usage of extremely valuable Magic Crystals as the Puppet’s spiritual core, for it was only such an object that could hold the mental characteristics imparted by a Mage.

Not surprisingly for the three, just as the Puppet was about to exit the door, two large Hanging Locks fell with a boom, isolating the Puppet in the Dark Cave. The somewhat panicked Puppet quickly calmed down under Rebry’s mental suggestion. The dark Fence and Hanging Lock had obviously triggered after the Puppet activated a certain mechanism. Such physical devices couldn’t be detected by magical perception, which is why, in such moments, the Puppet takes on the risks that the Mage should have. Especially when trapped, further attacks often follow, though it seemed there were none this time.

The Dark Knight lightly touched the Fence and Hanging Lock, examining the material it was made of, then stepped back, and his Long Sword gleamed with a bright silver light at his waist. With a loud clang, the Fence and Hanging Lock in front of them turned into rubble.

Komer looked regretfully at the destroyed lock. If Puber were here, he would probably be beating his chest and stamping his feet in frustration. Everything in the Castle, which was soon to become his residence, would be his property. Resorting to destructive force was hardly in his interests. However, there seemed to be no other way to open this mechanism, which could only be unlocked from the inside, and about this, Komer could only shrug his shoulders.

Having disposed of another Hanging Lock in the same way, what lay before the three men and one Puppet was a deep Dark Cave. Rebry once again conjured a Light Ball Illumination Technique, immediately lighting up the entire cave. In reality, the cave was a zigzagging Passage, and crossing it would likely lead to the Legendary Archangel Square. Along the walls of the corridor, every three meters stood a column-shaped bronze lamp that, due to the passage of time, had turned black with verdigris and was covered in dust. The Glass Decorations were so obscured that they were hard to make out, but one could still imagine the Castle’s former glory.

The Puppet wobbled its body and entered first. Komer kept his Spiritual Sense alert, never daring to slacken, even though he instinctively felt this exploration might turn up nothing. But intuition is tricky, a single premonition might change everything, so he couldn’t be negligent, especially since this place was known as the cursed land of the Demon God. After more than ten meters down the dark Passage, Komer could sense a sigh of relief from the other two men ahead, but just then, a sudden change occurred. Countless shadows swept across the air, letting out piercing screeches. With his pupils dilating, Komer used the dim light to spot the anomaly instantly, throwing his head back and feeling a cold, fishy wind graze his cheek. The Magic Scroll at his waist unfurled abruptly, and a massive Light Shield appeared, hovering all over him.

The charging shadows were immediately repelled by the Light Shield. It was a Light Protection Magic Komer had specifically designed to protect himself from sudden physical attacks. As the spell was quite a mouthful, Komer had simply turned it into a Magic Scroll, hanging the loop on his wrist, ready to unleash at a moment’s notice.