Turning
chapter-640

"This place, unlike the Tainu's underground prison, is not an appropriate location for a protection mechanism that can only be opened by blood relatives. So, our options are quite straightforward. I've studied a bit to avoid the frustration of missing the way like before, even when it's right in front of us."

With a smile, Kishiar began to cast his spell.

A dazzlingly bright light burst forth, accompanied by golden magic power emanating from Kishiar's hand, filling the space before them. The light, akin to the wind but distinct, illuminated the area before slowly fading away.

The dead-end they faced was no longer blocked. As if there had never been a wall there, a clear passage opened before them.

"...What exactly did you do?"

"I combined a simple yet effective spell with the ancient and useful artifact, the Mirror of Truth, which even I can use."

Kishiar showed a small, worn mirror he held in his hand.

'It's the magic tool he acquired to investigate the relic sent by Prince Ejain.'

The magic power wrapped around the mirror seemed somewhat diminished compared to when he first received it from Mrs. Justin, but it didn't appear to have lost all its power.

"Bringing useful tools like this is essential when coming to such a place."

The man, adept at concealing his thorough preparedness behind a smile, winked and moved forward.

"I prepared because I thought there was a high probability that there was at least one mechanism like this hidden there. It's fortunate we needed it."

"But you used too much power. Is the vessel... alright?"

Nathan Zuckerman expressed concern.

"If it were before, I'd definitely need to rest for a few days after this. But not now. I can endure much more these days. Haven't you noticed the increasing stability of my vessel?"

"That is... true."

Indeed, Kishiar looked almost unscathed. He was sweating slightly on his forehead but did not seem as drained as he had been after using magic in the underground of the Cavalry Headquarters.

Yuder, having observed Kishiar's increasing frequency of using power, felt strange upon hearing this confirmation. The gap between suspicion and certainty was both close and far. The thought that his visible strength was not only due to skill development but also increased stability of his vessel brought back old memories.

Kishiar La Orr had always yearned to unleash the full extent of his power, striving tirelessly to achieve his goals even in impossible situations. How brilliantly radiant and free he had looked, carving a massive sword mark on the wall with a cracked wooden sword.

His current state was a testament to those efforts.

Nathan Zuckerman, too, seemed to share this sentiment, unable to take his eyes off his lord who stood proudly on the ground.

Knowing the times when Kishiar had been in such a dire state that he contemplated death, Zuckerman could somewhat guess how he felt about this situation.

"Since discovering that the power to stabilize the cracked vessel originated from my own abilities, I've become much stronger. It's all thanks to my assistant. So, don't worry about me anymore, Nathan."

'...Wait. Why is my name coming up here?'

Yuder paused, furrowing his brows.

While tending to Emperor Keilusa, he realized that the power protecting the cracked vessel didn't solely come from 'Awakening' itself, but rather, it required the addition of Kishiar's power. However, this was not due to Yuder's merit.

He was about to speak, but Nathan Zuckerman was quicker to open his mouth.

"I understand. And congratulations on achieving yet another higher realm."

Surprisingly, this knight readily agreed with his lord's nonsensical statement. Consequently, Yuder completely missed the chance to assert that it wasn't thanks to him.

Without expressing unnecessary worry, but rather extending congratulations, he was infinitely similar to his lord in that regard.

Even if Kishiar reassured him that there was no need for concern, someone as diligent as Nathan Zuckerman wouldn't easily set aside his worries. However, after the congratulations, the knight's demeanor became noticeably more relaxed.

But as they advanced along the newly revealed path and reached the largest room so far, the three could no longer engage in conversation.

"...This is."

Kishiar, rubbing his chin and tilting his head, stood beside Yuder, who was frowning and scanning the surroundings with only his eyes.

"If Hellem had been here, she would have really appreciated this intentionally arranged setup."

The vast room was filled with what seemed to be hundreds of monster bones. However, their arrangement was somewhat peculiar. Laid out in orderly fashion, each bone placed as if with specific intent, without touching one another, the scene was somewhat chilling.

Why had the First Duke of Tain left the remains in such a manner after his research was completed?

"Yuder, what does the flow of magic power look like now?"

"Since the wall concealing this place was breached, it's almost disappeared. It seems the magic power I saw originated from that magic."

"So, the place itself wasn't magically altered."

Muttering to himself, Kishiar looked around and then gave an order.

"Since the area is open on all sides, there's no need to stick together. Let's spread out and check for anything unusual. Look for any traces the First Duke of Tain might have left."

"Understood."

The three dispersed, walking among the bones, searching for anything amiss. Yuder, maintaining the brilliance of his Eye of Magic, floated several flames in the air to illuminate the area.

'Up close, it's even more bizarre. To think there was a reason to arrange monster bones like this...'

To the faint-hearted, the sight upon entering could have been overwhelming, enough to cause a fainting spell. However, for Yuder, who was accustomed to slaying monsters and piling up even more corpses, it was merely a slightly unpleasant and strange place, nothing more, nothing less.

As if taking a stroll, Yuder walked around, examining the bones laid out below.

'Some are fairly intact, while others are almost entirely eroded. Were the old monsters softer than the ones appearing now?'

Monster corpses and bones decay very slowly due to their sturdiness, which is why weapons made from monster by-products are so popular.

But the bones here varied greatly in condition. Some were well-preserved enough to still have dried flesh clinging to them, while others were so decayed that only rotten soil and a few fragments suggested that something had once lain there.

If it weren't for their precise, evenly spaced arrangement, reminiscent of pieces in a well-ordered strategy game, it would have been difficult to even guess what had been there.

As he continued to walk, looking down, Yuder suddenly realized something.

‘…There seems to be a pattern between the spots where corpses have almost completely decayed and those where they haven't.’

After the almost unrecognizable, severely decayed corpses, there were invariably bodies of similar size in a more average state. Following the relatively intact corpses were again those barely distinguishable as bodies. It seemed that differences in size were also considered to avoid confusion with the other nearby bodies.

At first, he thought it might be the difference between a corpse that had been studied by the First Duke of Tain and a corpse that had not. But something about that explanation nagged at the back of his mind.

Pondering what it could be, Yuder stopped in front of a corpse that, though heavily decayed, still had a considerable amount of bone left.

‘This is good. It should be easy to distinguish it from the one next to it.’

He alternated his gaze between two corpses of nearly the same size.

Then, after a moment, he furrowed his brows and pressed his lips together tightly.

‘…What is this?’

Careful not to disturb the bones, he knelt down on one knee.

Upon closer inspection, his earlier suspicion became clearer.

‘This isn’t… a monster’s corpse, is it?’

He stood up and started walking around more swiftly than before, searching for the 'overly decayed' corpses with more traces left. After finding a few more, he felt more certain that his theory might be correct.

Here, not only were there monster corpses, but also a considerable mix of other animal remains.