The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 428: Volume 8: Gathering of Wind and Clouds, - 14: Shock_2

Chapter 428: Volume 8: Gathering of Wind and Clouds, Chapter 14: Shock_2

And Komer’s suspicion did not come from his understanding of magic; it stemmed from his perspective on human nature. The Mysterious Magician, since her arrival in the Caucasus a few days ago, had uttered no more than ten sentences. She usually stayed in her room without taking a single step outside, and even when questioned by Mihailovich, she merely dismissed him with a "sorry, I can’t say" response. Had it not been for that letter convincing Mihailovich to accept her, it is doubtful that anyone else would have welcomed her.

However, for someone so sparing with her words to go out of her way to explain a spell to everyone, trying to make them believe the origin of her magic was normal—it was indeed quite an overreaction.

Magicians are typically arrogant, too contemptuous to introduce or explain anything to others, yet she, who was the epitome of this behavior, displayed such bizarre conduct. It was no wonder that Komer was confused, though, of course, he had no idea what had caused her to lose her composure so.

As the Giant Ape Corpses vanished, peace returned to the passage. What everyone had presumed would be a grueling battle was effortlessly resolved by this newcomer, which bolstered everyone’s confidence in their expedition considerably. Even Komer, despite his suspicions towards the Mysterious Magician, felt that having such a powerful individual on their adventure might not be a bad thing after all.

Only Rebry, while appearing unchanged on the surface, had already begun to discreetly watch the new companion’s every move, all of which was unbeknownst to everyone else.

"Newman, since you recognize this as Bureimoden Text, then tell us what these symbols mean. Let’s hear what they are supposed to convey," Mihailovich said, his mood much lighter with the sudden dissipation of the imminent danger.

"No, no, sorry, I can only recognize these characters, but they are not the same as the current Orc Text. I think it’s very hard to find even a few people who can recognize these characters on the Continent."

Shaking his head, Newman’s complexion had returned to normal. The appearance of the Giant Ape Corpses had indeed shocked him, but he had not expected the creatures he regarded as monstrous to be dispatched so easily by his companion, which gave him endless confidence.

"Oh, that’s a pity. It seems we’ll have to wait until the exploration is over before we can reflect on the meaning of these symbols," Mihailovich said, turning his gaze to Rebry, who seemed lost in thought, "Rebry, shall we continue?"

"Of course, did you think a bunch of Zombie Apes would stop us?" Shrugging, Rebry smiled meaningfully, "Now that we have a Mage skilled in Light Magic, I think this expedition will be much smoother."

The Dark Passage seemed endless as the group continued forward in the order they started with. But now they were much more cautious, having encountered the Giant Ape Corpses upon just stepping into the dark passage. If not for the timely presence of a new companion, a skilled practitioner of Light Magic whose outstanding Light Magic shone brightly, it would be hard to estimate how much effort the rest of the group would have needed to deal with those Zombie Apes.

What other twists and turns might they encounter on the remainder of the journey? Who could tell?

The secrets of Damarlinsk Castle seemed to drift further away from the group with each moment. Just one secret path revealed had led to such complicated experiences—what about the other two discovered secret doors and those yet to be found?

The Passage was more like a labyrinth; moving with cautious steps for about one hundred meters, another fork appeared before the group. This time it was a crossroad. The path straight ahead looked narrower, while the passages to the left and right appeared much more spacious, once again posing a dilemma for the group.

Three passages appeared at once, leaving the seven-member expedition team to make a decision?

The seven immediately broke into an argument. The Mysterious Mage was unable to persuade everyone again—apparently, the encounter with the Giant Ape Corpses made them skeptical about the judgments of this enigmatic figure. Although the Mage had resolved the situation with the apes single-handedly, they feared they might not be so fortunate next time. The danger of the Giant Ape Corpses was well-known to all; what lay ahead in their next encounter?

Mihailovich and the two Dark Knights favored going straight ahead, arguing that this middle passage seemed slightly different from the broader ones flanking it. While spacious passages might benefit a Mage, the Dark Knights preferred an environment that better suited their martial arts. They chose the middle passage, which seemed less threatening and more suitable for showcasing their combat skills.

Newman, on the other hand, leaned toward taking the left. The threat on the right was not insignificant, and the left might be slightly better—a simple but practical reasoning on Newman’s part. This time, however, Rebry unexpectedly chose to support the Mysterious Mage, a position that surprised even Komer, who had been quietly observing. He could sense Rebry’s cautious attention toward the Mage, yet now Rebry had decided to back him at a critical moment. Komer felt he understood the reason why.

When Komer also chose to support the Mysterious Mage, Mihailovich changed his stance and agreed to continue to the right. Consequently, the remaining three members had no choice but to follow the majority’s decision.

The explorers soon realized their choice might not have been wrong, as the spiral passage descending downward was unusually calm and safe, unimpeded by any obstacles. Moreover, the glorious designs on the stone walls on both sides captivated them, constantly illuminated by the Sphere of Light Spell they invoked.

The murals depicted scenes almost out of ancient mythology, with various odd-shaped creatures, giant Magical Beasts, dragon-like monsters, and various forms of Undead Creatures—all vividly portrayed on the stone walls. Besides these unimaginable scenes, the only human protagonist in the pictures appeared very blurred.

The engraver had deliberately obscured the protagonist’s image except for a tall, robust figure with a pair of eyes sharply defined. The rest of the figure was indistinct, making it difficult for the observers to identify, which puzzled them all.

These lifelike and finely crafted carvings slowed their pace unconsciously; after much deliberation, the group surmised they were a praise series, celebrating the protagonist’s slaying of demons and exorcising evil spirits. However, the vague image of the protagonist made it impossible to guess which deity it might represent.

But Komer was truly shocked! The scene was incredibly similar to what had appeared in his dreams!

It was as if someone had taken the experiences from his visions and engraved them one by one. Especially the eyes of the protagonist; they matched exactly those of Kennifer III, whom Komer had conversed with in his nightmare, capturing a profound blend of desolation, persistence, and unregretful determination.

Komer could hardly fathom that he would encounter such a bizarre spectacle in the underground complex of Damarlinsk Castle. To others, it might seem like a nearly mythical carving, but for Komer, who had learned of Kennifer III’s secret lineage, this suggested that the actual identity of the Castle’s builder was highly suspect.

Who could this person be, and why choose to build such a grand Castle at Caucasus? How could they know of Kennifer III’s experiences? The Castle was built one hundred and sixty years ago, yet according to Kennifer III’s own account, the fall of the Dark Empire occurred five hundred years prior. Over the three hundred years between these events, the glory of that bygone era—striking like a comet—had not been forgotten.