Chapter 190 (1/2)

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Chapter 190 – The Huge Hole Underground

Hikaru could've taken the Blade of Severance and Dark Night Cloak, but he decided to leave them for now. It wasn't as though the researchers would make sudden progress in the next few days, making the items usable. Right now, he wanted to gather information without getting distracted.

I'm sure the Pope treats these holy mana items as top secret stuff. I think it's safe to a.s.sume that Father Scott Fairs found out about them and got killed.

When Hikaru stepped out of the room, he saw the man guarding the door eating with his colleagues. Relieved, Hikaru returned the lock back to its place.

Next stop: Underground.

Hikaru only came to the Tower to get information he could use to outwit the condescending priests and monks who picked a fight with him, but instead he stumbled upon greater spoils. He moved by the wall, wondering what to do with this information. He had completely mastered the movements he learned from Professor Mille; each step he made was silent.

As he made it to the entrance, he checked to see if anyone was around before stepping outside. After returning to where the paths split, he proceeded deeper underground.

The stairs made for an easy descent, gently curving downwards, away from the laboratory.

「Such immense mana… I can't really tell how many people are down there.」

The incredible amount of mana hindered Hikaru's Mana Detection. There should definitely be people in there, but he could also be wrong. The stairs eventually led to a cave.

「What the…」

It looked like a naturally-made pit, with a high ceiling that couldn't be seen from the bottom.

A magic circle… So this is the source of the mana.

The cave had a diameter of about a hundred meters, almost elliptical in shape. In the middle was a magic circle at least fifty meters in diameter, with a two-fold golden light spinning gently at its outer edges. Geometric shapes─Spirit language─filled the circle and at its very center was an octagon.

I thought the magic circle that Lavia creates when casting her spell was dreadful, but it looks adorable compared to this one. What's this magic circle for anyway?

The magic circle seemed to be blocking the huge hole on the ground. Or at least that's what it looked like.

Why close off this huge hole, though? Who even made this magic circle?

A magic circle was a manifestation of magical power, used to tell the Spirits what kind of phenomenon the spell caster wanted to produce. That is why Spirit language was embedded in the magic circle.

However, not one person could decipher the language. Spirits were, after all, beings that couldn't be seen nor felt; they could only be accessed when casting Spirit magic.

There are armed men here too, huh? Hmm, is that a Blue Knight?

Just like the laboratory, this place was guarded by armed men as well. No torches illuminated the cave, the only light came from the glowing magic circle. The men weren't temple knights. Their supervisor, however, was a Blue Knight, a middle-aged man with short, brown hair. They were on the opposite side of the circle, so Hikaru couldn't hear what they were saying.

I should get close.

Then, as Hikaru moved his feet, a booming roar came from the huge hole, followed by a slight trembling.

「Oh, c.r.a.p. This place is dangerous, man.」

「It's fine. As long as that magic circle holds, no monsters will come out of there.」

Hikaru heard the exchange of the men closer to him.

Monsters? In this hole?

As Hikaru glanced at the hole, the Blue Knight stepped into the magic circle and sauntered inside without any problem. Beside him was a set of stairs that led down. Peering into the hole, the knight descended slowly.

Is this what I think it is?

Hikaru was taken aback. If his guess was right, then he just stumbled upon something incredible. He heard the other men talking.

「I shouldn't have taken this job.」

「Sure, the whole confidentiality thing is a pain, but it's an easy job with pretty good pay. We just have to watch this place and pray nothing comes out of there.」