BXBX NOVEL Chapter 103 – Nano (5)
Chapter 103 – Nano (5)
“…What do you mean?”
Barbosa couldn’t understand.
He thought, like the Tower Master, that first, one should gather information about the opponent, and then think of countermeasures and act accordingly.
He never imagined it would be resolved with just a single move.
Yet the alienation of the Forbidden Lands, which replaces everything—solved in just a few hours?
Barbosa had a bewildered expression.
The Tower Master, understanding this, waved his fingers.
[It’s faster to show you directly.]
The space folded.
Ketal, Barbosa, Elene, and Aaron moved to the place where the Lutein royal castle used to be, along with the Tower Master.
Barbosa was shocked by the changed surroundings.
“What is this place?”
Everything was collapsed and destroyed.
The ground was shattered and cracked, looking unstable and ready to collapse at any moment.
“Why have you moved us to such ruins?”
[You still don’t get it at a glance.]
The Tower Master chuckled.
[This is where the Lutein royal castle was.]
“…What?”
“H-here?”
Elene looked around with a bewildered face.
No matter how she looked, all she could see was land on the verge of collapsing.
[Those things had replaced the castle itself. While dealing with them, the castle also vanished. The ground’s collapse is the aftermath of the battle.]
“…Then this place really is…”
The Tower Master nodded.
[It’s over. The alienation of the Forbidden Lands no longer exists in this world.]
The Tower Master murmured as if he had suddenly remembered something.
[Ah. Maybe not entirely. Some still remains.]
Everyone’s gaze turned to Elene.
She wandered through the destruction with a blank expression.
“Tower Master.”
Barbosa looked at the Tower Master with eyes full of respect and awe.
He naturally believed that the Tower Master had dealt with Nano.
He was genuinely impressed by the power and ability of a master wizard.
But the Tower Master shook his head.
[It wasn’t me.]
“What?”
[It was him.]
The Tower Master looked at Ketal.
Barbosa’s pupils widened.
Elene, who had been wandering aimlessly, muttered.
“They’re all gone… The place where I was born and the people I knew… all of them.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
Elene shook her head.
“Since I can start anew with a fresh heart, I actually like it.”
“Is that so?”
Ketal looked at the Tower Master.
“So, what will you do now? It’s almost morning.”
The Tower Master’s sleep magic wouldn’t last forever.
Eventually, people would wake up and realize the castle had disappeared.
[Well, I’ll take care of what can be handled appropriately.]
The Tower Master waved his fingers.
[Arise.]
It was a command.
The language itself carried power, issuing orders to nature.
[Be restored to your original state.]
Rumble….
With a quiet rumble, the ground rose.
The broken earth regained its original form.
The destroyed foundation was filled, and the cracked ground began to join together.
“Ooh.”
Ketal exclaimed.
In an instant, the land returned to its state before the battle.
To an uninformed person, it would just look like a flat open space.
‘Restoration is possible?’
Restoring something is usually harder than destroying it.
Yet, to make it return to its original state so perfectly—Ketal was amazed.
“Is this possible with magic? Truly astonishing.”
[When you say that, it sounds like you’re teasing.]
The Tower Master shook his head.
[Restoring the land isn’t difficult. It’s merely nature without any will. But what can be restored is only the land.]
When the people of the Lutein Kingdom wake up, they will see it.
The castle that disappeared overnight.
[From here on, it’s your task. As the only remaining royalty of the Lutein Kingdom and one of the only two remaining alien children in the world.]
“Yes.”
Elene nodded with a calm face.
“I am prepared.”
Saying so, Elene looked at Ketal.
Then, she bowed politely.
“Mr. Ketal. Thank you once again. You achieved vengeance on my behalf. If in the future, you ever need my help… Elene Malvocci. In the name of myself, I will help you.”
The alien child, one of only two left in the world, spoke to her benefactor.
Ketal smiled faintly.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
* * *
After confirming everything, Ketal returned to the Kingdom of Denian.
While resting in the reception room, the door opened, and the Tower Master entered.
[Here you are. Take this.]
The Tower Master handed Ketal a pouch.
When he received it, it felt quite heavy.
[It’s the remnants of those things you wanted. It was quite an effort to gather them all, scattered as they were.]
“Oh.”
Ketal’s eyes lit up.
When he opened the pouch to check, it was filled with iridescent particles.
Ketal smiled brightly.
The reason he had fought this time was to obtain these particles. Judging by the amount, it seemed sufficient.
“Thank you.”
[I’m not sure what you’ll use them for, but make good use of them.]
In truth, the Tower Master had hesitated a bit about whether to give the particles to Ketal.
The iridescent particles that appeared when the alienation of the Forbidden Lands was extinguished.
No matter how he thought about it, their potential uses were abundant.
They were precious items that could provide insights into the alienation of the Forbidden Lands.
But his hesitation soon disappeared.
Building a friendly relationship with Ketal was far more important.
Satisfied, Ketal stowed away the iridescent particles and asked curiously.
“What are Barbosa and Elene doing there?”
Only Ketal and the Tower Master had returned to the Denian royal castle.
Barbosa and Elene were still there.
The Tower Master began to speak.
[Lutein’s royal castle has vanished. All the royal family members, except for Elene, have disappeared. What do you think will happen next?]
“Elene will become queen.”
Ketal spoke nonchalantly.
“But to the people of the Lutein Kingdom, Elene will ultimately be an immature princess who ran away. And the Denian Kingdom will be the bad kingdom that didn’t return the princess. Can those two really accomplish anything by staying there?”
In seizing power, public sentiment and legitimacy are crucial.
Milena had also traveled in person to gain legitimacy as the family head.
Unfortunately, Elene lacked that legitimacy.
“I think it’s more likely she’ll be accused of being a traitor who destroyed the castle and assassinated the king. The surviving nobles will also try to seize the throne for themselves once they understand the situation. It’s not a good picture.”
[…….]
The Tower Master momentarily lost his words.
‘I thought he might have some idea, but…’
He hadn’t expected Ketal to understand the situation so perfectly.
This barbarian wasn’t just strong.
He knew the aftermath and the ripple effects of his actions.
He just didn’t seem to care much about them.
‘He’s a more troublesome type than I thought.’
He hoped not all barbarians of the White Snowfield were like this.
With a sense of unease, the Tower Master spoke.
[It won’t be easy, just as you said. That’s why I plan to take action myself.]
“Will that be enough?”
[It should be enough to quell the chaos.]
The name of the Tower Master held enough authority to calm the turmoil in the kingdom.
However, there was still a problem.
Ultimately, it would be foreign intervention.
There would inevitably be talk.
So the Tower Master made a decision.
[And we must also talk about the alienation that swallowed the Lutein royal castle.]
The world would come to know.
The Forbidden Lands was breaking out into the world.
And it was indeed a threat to them.
The facts that had been known to only a few until now would become known to everyone.
“Chaos will ensue.”
[It’s an inevitable chaos that we have to face sooner or later.]
“That’s true.”
Ketal replied.
A brief silence ensued.
The Tower Master, who had been watching Ketal, spoke.
[You are strong.]
“I’m not weak.”
[And you seemed experienced. It looks like you’ve faced enemies like that before.]
“It’s not like I haven’t seen them.”
It was the peculiarity of replacing everything that was the problem; Nano’s strength itself was comparable to those found in the White Snowfield.
Hearing that response, the flames flickering in the Tower Master’s eyes intensified.
‘…Are such alien beings common in the White Snowfield?’
Since the conquest of the continent by the emperor in ancient times, nothing was known about the White Snowfield.
In some ways, it was the most information-scarce place regarding the Forbidden Lands in this world.
‘Is there something that replaces everything even in the White Snowfield?’
The Tower Master, who was unaware, could only think so.
While he pondered, Ketal asked.
“If such beings exist, is it difficult to deal with them?”
[It’s not. The peculiarity of replacing things is the problem; their strength itself is manageable. A hero class would be able to handle it without much trouble.]
“Oh.”
Ketal’s face showed interest.
Hero class.
How strong are they?
The Tower Master was also considered a hero.
The powers he had occasionally displayed clearly exceeded Ketal’s imagination.
However, Ketal had never seen him actually fight, so his strength remained uncertain.
The beings deemed the strongest in this world.
At Ketal’s gaze, the Tower Master took a step back.
He quietly began preparing defensive spells.
[I’m sorry, but I have no intention of fighting you. There’s no reason to, either.]
“If that’s the case.”
Ketal was a civilized person.
He wouldn’t force a fight with someone who didn’t want to.
However, the Tower Master did not release his defensive preparations.
“So, what will you do now?”
[First, I need to deal with the situation in the Kingdom of Lutein. And then… I need to take further action. Unfortunately, it’s not just the Kingdom of Lutein that’s in turmoil.]
“The world seems quite chaotic.”
[This recent event is just the beginning.]
The Tower Master muttered as if troubled.
[It’s merely the first visible instance, but the problem is occurring across the entire continent. It’s very bad for us.]
“Is that so?”
Although Elene had mentioned that the world was in turmoil, the fact that the Tower Master spoke of it this way meant that something significant was indeed happening.
[The world will soon be greatly shaken.]
The Tower Master looked at Ketal.
[What do you plan to do in a world that’s being shaken?]
“My goal is always the same.”
He was simply here to enjoy the fantasy world.
The Tower Master asked.
[What if someone obstructs you?]
“Obstruction, huh.”
Ketal thought for a moment and then made a peculiar expression.
At that moment, the Tower Master instinctively prepared to cast a spell.
He felt as if a predator was baring its fangs at his neck.
Ketal murmured quietly.
“It would become a very bothersome matter for me.”