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Chapter 305: Dwarf Cave Mantamia (7)

"...What do you mean by that?"

"I mean it quite literally."

"Uh, so... let me get this straight."

Ignisia asked, wanting to confirm if she understood correctly.

"You want to move the entire mine outside the domain?"

"Yes."

Ketal nodded.

"I have a question. What is the demon\'s domain based around?"

"...That place was once a sacred site of Lord Hephaestus. It was protected by divine power. But that protection turned to evil, transforming it into a demonic domain."

"So it\'s not centered around the demon itself, then."

In that case, if they could distance themselves from Mantamia, they could escape the domain\'s boundaries.

"The reason the demon can freely manipulate things in the mine is because the mine is within the demon\'s domain. If we move it out, he wouldn\'t be able to use it."

"That\'s impossible,"

Grombir shook his head, and Ketal looked puzzled.

"Impossible? Is the mine that big?"

"No, in terms of size, it isn\'t that large."

The mine was compressed to an extreme, so it was only the size of a small hill.

Just based on size alone, moving it wasn’t an impossible task.

But the issue was its weight and unique properties.

"The minerals inside the mine hold a mystery of their own."

They had a strong resistance to mysteries.

Trying to manipulate them using mystical power was nearly impossible.

For this reason, even the dwarves mined using pure physical labor with pickaxes rather than mystical means.

"Only pure physical force would work, but that too is impossible. This mine is extremely heavy."

All sorts of minerals had been compressed to the limit, so in terms of sheer weight, it was comparable to a mountain range.

How could anyone move something with the weight of a mountain range using brute force alone?

It was impossible.

But Ketal responded cheerfully,

"No need to worry about that part. I\'ll handle it."

"Huh? Um?"

Grombir wondered if he’d explained it poorly, hearing Ketal talk like moving the mine was no problem.

"But you bring up a good point. Even if we manage to lift the mine, moving it intact is unlikely."

The mine wasn’t a solid block.

If they tried to lift it, parts of it would likely crumble off.

So Ketal asked Ignisia a question.

"Ignisia, can you bind the mine with a dragon’s enchantment?"

"That\'s difficult. Like Grombir said, the minerals inside resist it..."

"I\'m not talking about the inside of the mine. I mean from the outside."

"Outside?"

"Can you bind it from the outside, like wrapping it up in a bag?"

The question was whether it was possible to wrap and contain the space around the mine itself.

Ignisia had once sealed off an entire mountain during a confrontation with Ketal, so it wasn’t impossible.

After thinking it over, Ignisia responded seriously.

"...It\'s not easy. Even if I don’t touch the inside directly, there\'s indirect resistance. And there\'s a demon in there, remember?"

If they attempted to bind it in such a way, Raphael would sense something unusual and fiercely resist.

"I can\'t do it alone. I\'d need another dragon skilled in dragon magic."

"What about if I help?"

"...What?"

Ignisia\'s eyes widened.

Ketal said,

"I couldn’t learn dragon magic in the past."

It was because he couldn’t control mysteries.

So he’d postponed learning dragon magic until he’d tamed mystery enough through simpler practices like swordsmanship and basic magic.

"But now, I can control mystery to some extent. Could I use dragon magic now?"

And if so...

"Could you and I combine our powers to wrap that mine?"

"......"

Ignisia didn’t deny it.

She remained silent for a moment before quietly replying,

"...We’d have to test it to know."

"Then it’s simple."

Ketal clapped as if everything was decided.

"I’ll learn dragon magic from you and assist in this endeavor. We don’t have any other option, do we?"

"...That’s true."

"Then it’s settled."

Ketal smiled broadly.

"Ignisia, I’m counting on you."

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

Out in the open with Ketal, Ignisia still looked uncertain.

She knew Ketal was strong, of course.

He had the strength to lift a mountain without using mysteries—power that defied comprehension.

Still, she found it hard to believe he could move something with the weight of a mountain range, like that mine.

"It’s possible,"

Ketal replied calmly.

"No need to worry about that part. Leave it to me."

"Well, alright,"

Ignisia’s gaze turned serious.

Ketal said he could handle his part.

So she would do hers.

Ignisia asked him,

"You said you’ve gained some control over mysteries?"

"I can channel it to strengthen and protect my body and, in certain circumstances, even project it as a weapon."

"Hmm... that might be enough. Try using the dragon magic you attempted last time."

"Got it. If I remember correctly, it was like this?"

Ketal muttered, recalling the spell.

[[ᛒ]]

Fire.

Whoosh!

Flames surged in the air.

Last time, Ketal had attempted dragon magic, but he’d failed to control it, and the flames had overtaken his body.

Ignisia tensed, ready to react.

But this time, the flames didn’t explode.

Ketal narrowed his eyes, commanding from deep within himself.

‘Obey me.’

The flames flickered as if on the verge of bursting, but Ketal managed to suppress them.

Watching for a moment, Ignisia relaxed.

"It worked. You can use dragon magic."

"Oooh!"

Ketal exclaimed joyfully.

He was thrilled, and for good reason.

He’d finally gained the ability to wield mystical power in a meaningful way.

He felt like shouting with excitement.

"How does it feel?"

"I can suppress it to some extent, but it’s not easy. If I push too far, I’ll lose control."

"Looks like you have a limit. You’ll need more practice. Binding the mine isn’t about raw destruction but precise application, so it won’t be easy. I’ll teach you."

"I’m counting on you."

Ketal replied with a bright smile.

From then on, he began learning dragon magic from Ignisia.

He tamed and mastered mystery, manifesting it through dragon magic.

Little by little, Ketal became more proficient with the spells.

[[ᛃᛟᚨᚲᛏ]]

Leap.

Crunch!

Ketal’s body disappeared, reappearing at a different spot.

He had crossed space itself.

[Isn’t spatial leap usually more refined than that?]

The Holy Sword murmured, unimpressed.

Ketal’s spatial leap was far from typical.

The ground around where he’d leapt was torn apart as if it had been forcibly ripped open.

His mystery tore through everything but his body.

"Excellent!"

Ketal clenched his fist in triumph.

[You... you’re like a child.]

The Holy Sword muttered in amazement.

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Ketal wasn’t thrilled simply because he was growing stronger by learning dragon magic.

He was ecstatic about learning dragon magic itself, his expression like a child discovering a new toy.

And so, a week passed.

Ketal was gradually growing accustomed to wielding mystery.

He quietly watched the fire that had risen in the air.

Grrrr...

The beast of mystery within him let out a low growl.

It was wild, yet it clearly followed his command, almost as though he were soothing a disgruntled creature.

"Seems like you\'ve gotten the hang of it."

"Yeah, I’m starting to get a feel for it."

Invocation.

It was the act of manifesting mystery into the world.

Unlike simply strengthening the body, this involved directly controlling the beast of mystery.

He was beginning to understand what this beast wanted and what kind of creature it truly was.

Ignisia, who had been silently watching Ketal handling the invocation, made a decision.

"I think... it’s enough."

"Oh? Are we starting?"

"Honestly, I\'m fifty-fifty on it. But we can\'t wait any longer."

Raphael had taken over a mine in Mantamia and was sending its precious minerals to hell.

They couldn’t afford to give him any more time.

"Then let’s go."

"Understood."

Ketal followed Ignisia to the surface.

They stood right above where the Mantamia mine was located.

"The plan is simple. The mine is right below us. I’m going to bind the ground along with the mine. And if it works, you’re going to hold onto this land, lift it up, and toss it out. …This is really possible, right?"

Even Ignisia herself found the plan hard to believe.

Ketal gave a confident smile.

"It’s not a problem."

"Hmm... Alright. I’ll initiate the invocation first. You provide support."

"Got it."

Ignisia took a deep breath before speaking with force.

[[ᛗᚢᚲᛟᚱᚨ]]

Bind.

Ketal also uttered with a grin.

[[ᛗᚢᚲᛟᚱᚨ]]

Crack!

The invocation activated.

A powerful spell that governed the world moved to bind the mine.

"Mmm..."

Meanwhile, Raphael was touching the minerals with an uneasy expression.

"It\'s too quiet."

It had been over a week since anyone had entered his domain.

It was almost enough to make him wonder if the memory of Ketal’s terrifying presence was just his imagination.

"Are they plotting something? But I don’t sense any significant movement."

Muttering to himself, Raphael continued stacking minerals in a tower in front of him.

“…There we go.”

Raphael smiled in satisfaction as he topped off the tower.

But at that moment, the ground shook.

With a rumbling sound, the tower he painstakingly built crumbled to the ground.

He stared at the collapsed tower with a blank expression.

"No… No way!"

He snapped back to his senses, expanding his awareness to figure out what was happening.

His eyes widened.

"...They\'re trying to bind the mine?"

His first thought was simply: why?

Even if they bound it, it was still within his domain.

It was a pointless effort.

"But I can’t just stand by and watch."

Raphael stomped his foot.

Minerals sprang forth, moving en masse to shatter the invocation that was encircling the mine.

Rumble!

"Ugh!"

A shockwave hit Ignisia.

She poured more strength into her invocation as her power clashed with Raphael\'s resistance.

But Ignisia was losing ground, even with Ketal’s invocation supporting her.

The binding shroud over the mine was beginning to tear apart.

"Ah..."

This won’t work.

Both Ignisia and Ketal felt it.

Ketal narrowed his eyes.

At this rate, they would fail.

They needed something stronger to overcome this.

"Hmm."

Ketal had learned about invocation from Ignisia.

He was now directly moving the mystery, and as a result, he had come to understand the beast of mystery more clearly.

This creature, at its core, wanted to run wild.

It wanted to destroy and ruin the world.

But it didn’t want to follow Ketal.

That was precisely why it resisted his commands.

However, it also possessed a desire to fight.

When it encountered a strong adversary, it wanted to tear into that existence and claw at it.

Ketal came to a realization.

This was indeed his power.

But at the same time, it was not his alone.

He didn’t know when, but something had once rooted itself within him.

It had fused with mystery and was forcibly drawn out.

Although it resided within him, it resisted him due to this reason.

‘I used to think it was simply mystery resisting me like the wandering merchant said.’

But that wasn’t the case.

The beast’s emotions were clear, possessing a sense of self and desire, almost like a living entity.

Though he didn’t know its exact nature, the solution was simple.

‘Hey.’

Grrrr…

The beast of mystery let out a gruff growl at Ketal’s call, as if asking what he wanted.

‘How much longer are you going to resist? Isn’t it about time you listened?’

Grrrr.

‘Don’t be like that.’

Ketal smiled.

‘I don’t know what’s bothering you, but you don’t have a reason to resist me this much. If we accomplish this, it won’t just benefit me. You’ll gain from it, too.’

Grr…

The growl softened a bit.

Ketal coaxed gently.

‘Once this is over, you’ll grow stronger. You’ll be able to stain everything in the world.’

Grr…

The beast seemed to consider his words before letting out a growl that carried a question: could it trust him?

Ketal smiled.

‘You should know by now, having observed me. I don’t lie.’

…Grr.

The beast, after a moment of contemplation, began to move.

The creature that had been resting within him made itself visible.

It rode upon the invocation and began to move.

Ignisia, who was trying to hold back Raphael’s resistance, opened her eyes wide.

“What?”

The latent force surged towards the world.

The beast swallowed up her invocation and swiftly began to envelop the mine.

“What… is that?”

Raphael, who had been resisting, was flung backward.

For a brief instant, something he couldn’t resist had surrounded the mine.

The desperate struggle between Ignisia and Raphael ended in an instant.

Ignisia looked at Ketal in astonishment.

Ketal smiled with satisfaction.

“It’s done. Well done.”

Grrr.

The beast let out a rough growl.

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