Volume 3: Chapter 018: Thor – Opened a Forbidden Space
Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
I had known the witch from a long time ago.
So, of course, I knew the Crimson Witch’s name. It was only natural.
[1] “Hey, thanks.”“Hm?”
[1] “For, you know, the earrings.”“Well, they’re just some cheap trinkets…” I said, feeling awkward for some reason.
[1] “I will treasure them…” said Makia as she continued to touch the earrings. “Thank you…”She sounded arrogant, but avoided my gaze as she thanked me in a low voice. This meant she was truly touched by my gift. I’m glad I bought it.
“No, I should thank you. You cast a spell on that brooch, didn’t you?”
[1] “What brooch? Ah, that one, I suppose…”“It was a cunning bit of magic. I must admit that I was taken by surprise.”
“I knew the moment it activated. So, what happened? Did the princess try to drug you with something weird again?”
“No… let’s talk about that later. For now, hit me!!”
I braced myself and spread my arms wide open, ready to take anything from her. Literally. Come and hit me already!
One of Makia’s hands clenched into a fist, and I tensed in anticipation. However, instead of striking me, her fist thudded into her palm. It made an impressive smacking sound, but Makia made no attempt to step forward or punch me.
“I believe that’s enough. I admit that I deliberately put you through all kinds of trouble. It was not very mature of me.”
“… …” What?
“Not to mention, you’ve just constructed two completely different Magic Spaces, right? Won’t that devour you?”
“Ah, well, it’s fine.”
Makia’s concern about the magic ‘devouring’ me was quite justified. Though I have not been in a battle or anything of that sort, creating a magic space took a lot out of me.
However, I do not regret it.
Instead, a refreshing feeling washed over me.
“Grimind, can I make the payment later?”
“Yes, yes, my lord. However, there will be a 20% interest charged…”
“That’s fine.”
As soon as I was done negotiating with Grimind, the magic that had been chewing at my stomach started to subside [2].
Makia looked around, taking in the quiet forest filled with white flowers.
“Say, what’s this place? This forest has a rather mysterious feel to it.”
“Ah, well, this forest is not meant for combat. Remember back when we had to investigate Residual Magic Spaces? This is one of the spaces I found. I copied down all the data from the Residual Magic Spaces for future study. This one was most likely created by someone a long time ago.”
White, unfamiliar flowers bloomed quietly in the forest.
Here and there were rocks etched with unknown characters. It was all quite interesting. Perhaps they could be studied as an archaeological interest.
Makia looked around curiously, but when she turned to me, her question was, “Say, where does that path lead to?”
She looked quite excited. I was only glad that our relationship had returned to normal.
“It leads to more of the same. If you follow it further, you will come to a wall. It’s not a very big space.”
“I want to go down that path. Since you’ve already made this space, let’s have a picnic here,” she cheered.
“Haha, you’re in a great mood.”
She was not alone.
[2] I felt pretty good as we made our way slowly down the forest path. The very air and feel of the space were just like a real forest. The feeling of the soil under our feet was also pretty realistic. The tree bark was also well crafted.Please read this at kitchen novel dot com ~
“What? You met the Blue General?”
“Yup, the magic he used was really strange. He placed his consciousness into someone else’s body and made contact with me. I had no idea what he looked like at all.”
“Hmph, that’s pretty troublesome.”
“Troublesome is right. Unlike the Hero, he’s a different kind of evil. With that kind of magic, he could easily infiltrate the core of Ruskia’s palace without any of us noticing. Also, he has some skills to curse magic.”
“Curse magic, that was something that existed 2000 years ago, too, right?”
“Yes, but that kind of magic had been considered taboo for a long time. It’s almost non-existent now…”
“That fellow made Eska look cute.”
“Yeah, Eska’s much easier to deal with since he’s an actual idiot.”
When I told Makia about the Blue General, she appeared surprised but also a little confused. With Demon King Class people appearing one after another, well, it certainly gives off some kind of premonition.
Nothing good.
“Say, there’s something carved on this rock. I wonder what it says.”
“Who knows, maybe they’re some kind of ancient monuments?”
Some of the rocks here were certainly [2] large enough to be called monuments. Whatever was written on them was a mystery to me.
“Such strange characters. They must be from over 2000 years ago.”
“Maybe…”
Even I had no idea when this space was created, but I did recall the High Priest saying something about the Magic Spaces by the Church created by the ‘First Children’ who had gathered and played together.
If that was true, could this place be even older than Maydea? How long does Maydea’s history span anyway?
Recorded history only goes back as far as a few thousand years.
“This place gives off a nice feeling. Being under the dappled sunlight reminds me of Delia’s forest. When was that again? I think we had a fight then, too, right? I think I was acorn picking…”
“That’s right. I was almost worked to death then, too.”
“Ahahaha, just how did you get yourself into these situations?”
“Maybe it’s because I was too capable.”
She had attacked me then with some kind of weapon called an Acorn Bomb. It was really painful too. That person had always been a bit of a bully, even back then.
“You can see the sky here.”
“That’s also a created space. Also, I don’t think you should wander around too much in that dress.”
“Oh my, isn’t this all an illusion? Surely none of it would affect the me in the real world?”
“That’s true…”
Makia looked cheerful [2] as she skipped along the path, her other shoe lost somewhere in the grass. It has been a long time since I saw her this carefree. I was suddenly reminded of the Crimson Witch from 2000 years ago.
“Say, Thor… what’s that?”
“?”
The area where Makia pointed was the edge of the space.
[2] What was supposed to be a wall was a strange-looking arch that looked like it was made from a bunch of cubes stacked together. The centre of the arch was hollow, and what little we could see looked like an opening down a long, dark tunnel.There was no such tunnel the last time I came here.
Suddenly, this calm, peaceful space with its dappled sunlight and white flowers felt menacing.
“O-oi, don’t go there. I don’t know anything about that space… It’s better not to mess around with it.”
“?” [2] Makia looked at me with curiosity all over her face.
However, I was too busy studying the anomaly in front of us.
How did something like this just suddenly appear?
Why now?
What exactly was this space?
Was it just a peaceful forested area?
When I first came here before, the only data that showed up was this forested space.
“Could this be… a Double Space?”
“A double space?”[2] Makia tilted her head curiously as she studied the blocky-looking arch.
“Indeed, a space within a space. A hidden space that only appears once certain conditions are met.”
As for the conditions… Makia’s presence must be part of it.
“I-in fact,” [1] I uncharacteristically stumbled over my words before steadying myself to say, “In fact… we should go through the arch and find out what’s on the other side.”
“Wait, are you serious!!? It could be dangerous! Let’s go back; if anything happens to this space, you, as the creator of this place, will be affected!”
“I know,” [2] I said grimly. “But, if my calculations are correct, what lies beyond the arch is a conditional space that would not appear without your presence. Perhaps… the space has something to do with the ‘you’ from another time.”
“The me from… another time?”
“That’s right. That is why we must enter the space.”
In fact, now that I think about it, the other residual magic spaces by the church may also have similar conditional spaces.
I already have the data in hand; however, if we don’t make a thorough study of it, we could miss something vitally important.
Then again, it is also possible that what lies ahead are things that should never be disturbed.
As we approached the blocky archway, I could feel the magic density change. Both spaces were purely made up of illusions and magic, but it was clear that the area beyond the archway was greater than the one we were in.
“This… this isn’t good. If we go any further, it could be too much for you, Thor!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to sound casual. “This much is nothing, I won’t die from it.”
“But… Thor…” [1] Makia tugged at my arm as I was about to step through the arch.
Just then, mysterious white letters appeared in front of us. [2] They were written in the same unknown language etched on the stones around us. Then, suddenly, they flashed and transformed into words that we could easily understand.
[Welcome to the Border of the World]
I knew [2] instinctively that it was a truth that should not have been revealed to us yet.
At this moment, we stood at the border without sufficient knowledge.
We cannot go further than this.
I should not have taken Makia with me.
However, like a predator lying in wait, the silent arch expanded like a reptile’s jaw, as though trying to swallow us up.
I tried to release the space, but it was like shouting commands into the wind. Even though the space was created with my own power, nothing would obey me.
“Thor!!” Makia screamed.
I felt her pull the sword from my waist, and from the corner of my eye, I saw her stab herself in the leg. Blood gushed from the wound.
“You- Makia!”
The blood dyed the ruby brightness of her dress into darker crimson.
“I command you… Break!”
Her voice was steady as she roared the order. In the next instant, the space where her blood had spilt cracked. We lost our footing and started to fall. The pixelated archway, too, lost its cohesion and collapsed with a sharp, ringing sound—like the shattering of crystal glasses [2].
As we continue to plummet away from the illusory world, the words linger, their echoes stirring a strange force within my racing heart.
[Welcome to the Border of the World]
[Gumihou: Did my best to make it good and exciting] [1] Crimson Witch-like thoughts and dialogues [2] Additional details
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