The Book Eating Magician Chapter 193:

Chapter 193 – Around the Desert (3)

After the crow flew through the desert sky for an hour, Theodore was forced to fix his perception .  He couldn’t use Mitra’s power, so he called Hugin as a substitute . However, it was far superior to what he had expected .

‘Indeed, it is bigger when the eye level is higher . ’

Theodore shared the desert scenery with Hugin and soon discovered the reason .

Mitra’s ability was moving through the ground, while Hugin could look down at the ground from the height of the clouds . The sandy winds of the desert couldn’t reach that height . Unlike the party that could barely see 50 meters ahead, he could see a wide scenery .

Then something soon entered Theodore’s eyes .  It was four hours after the carriage stopped, just as the sun started to fall below the horizon .  Something glowing in the opposite direction of the sun entered Hugin’s eyes .

“Uh?!”

“Kid, what happened?”

At the front of the party, Theodore suddenly grabbed his eyes and Veronica hurriedly helped him .  It might be due to the crow’s habit, which liked sparkling things . The silver which entered Hugin’s eyes was difficult for Theodore to endure .

However, Theodore restored his balance and looked at the landscape again .  There was a building which maintained its shape in the desert caused by the sand dragon, Desertio .  Additionally, the radiant silver which hurt his eyes matched Paragranum’s previous description .

The hemisphere shape, which was 300 meters in radius, protruded from the ground, and it was made of a metal that was hard to scratch with master level auras .

“I’ve found the ruin . ”

The faces of the investigation team became tense at Theodore’s words .  They were glad to reach their destination, but they knew that people were occupying it .  So, from then on, the party’s gait became more cautious .

They narrowed the distance toward the scenery which Theodore had seen .

‘…There . ’

The investigation team could see the outline of the ruins Theodore had seen from the distant sky .  There was a flag with two swords flying . The flag symbolized the sword empire .  The black knights from Andras were also patrolling the ruins .

“300 meters ahead, a patrol of Shadow Knights will pass . ”

“How many?”

“There are 12 people on patrol and based on the barracks, there are 40 people in total . ”

“It is a considerable amount . Isn’t the value of this set of ruins quite high?”

Unlike Quattro who had no experience, Veronica had run into them several times, so she knew the meaning of this number .

The Shadow Knights were the hidden swords of the Andras Empire, who committed all types of deeds in the darkness . The fact that 40 people had been sent to this distant desert was proof that these ruins had a lot of value .

However, shortly after that, Theodore’s expression hardened . “…One of the empire’s Seven Swords is present . ”

It was a familiar face . With black hair and legs which were stretched out in a relaxed manner, this was the appearance of a knight who looked cunning .  He was Andras’ 7th Sword, Lloyd Pollan .

Theodore Miller didn’t have a good impression of him . He was the sword master who had found him in the royal palace and threatened to kill him at the end of the armistice .

“The 7th Sword, Lloyd Pollan . ”

“What? That opportunist bastard?”

However, Veronica’s reaction was unexpected for Theodore .

“Opportunist?”

“Yes, it is strange . He never comes when there are traps, but if there is something to gain, he will appear like a ghost . Additionally, he never shows up on a battlefield where either Blundell or I are present . He is trickier than the 4th Sword . ”

Therefore, Veronica’s eyes were blazing at this chance to kill him .  It wasn’t just her but the others as well . Quattro had a great attachment to their kingdom, so they wanted to take this opportunity to shatter the power of the empire .

In the end, only Mujak and Para moved along with casual expressions .

“Okay, this hill is adequate . ”

Before long, Theodore’s group arrived at a sand dune near the ruins containing the Andras team .  It was a suitable place to secretly monitor the Andras team . The approach of the six people hadn’t been exposed yet .

“The Shadow Knights… It is my first time seeing them with my own eyes . ” William looked over the sand dune and gulped .   He knew about the special forces of the Andras Empire, but he didn’t know he would encounter them in this way .

Sylvia couldn’t help tightening her grip on her staff, while Theodore was staring at the man called Lloyd Pollan .  At that moment, Veronica looked at the Andras knights and muttered, “But what are they doing now?”

The question soon spread to everyone . It was inevitable for the Meltor war mages to be curious about the strange actions of the shadows .  A group of five people was digging at the ground, while another pair was burying something in the ground . Silver liquid was flowing from the large pits they’d made .

Paragranum was the first to notice their intentions .

“…Explosives . ”

“What, explosives?”

‘I know that the Andras people are using all types of means, but even explosives?’

Veronica and the others turned to Para with surprise, but she didn’t pay attention to them . She continued muttering to herself .  What was the Andras team doing?

On the contrary, there were several possibilities as to why they were laying down explosives .  Should the Meltor group let it go or interfere? If they were confident of winning in a frontal battle, it was more realistic to choose the latter .

“If they are planning to blow it up, should I use my breath?” Veronica offered a radical suggestion .

However, Theodore considered it seriously .  As Paragranum had described, the ruin wouldn’t be broken by Veronica’s breath . The Andras group, who hadn’t grasped their approach yet, would be hit and burn to death without knowing .  The explosives would blow up, and even Lloyd would find it difficult to survive .  It was a chance to get rid of everyone with one attack!

However, the moment when Theodore was about to nod with agreement, there was a voice which interfered with the decision .

“No, you can’t do that!” Paragranum, the grimoire in the shell of a girl, suddenly shouted at Veronica .  Veronica stopped in surprise, just as the explosives burned up on the other side of the sand dune .

Kwakwakwakwa!

There was a massive explosion accompanied by a huge roar . The party wasn’t prepared and quickly covered their eardrums, while the sky darkened with smoke .

Kukukukung, the earth also trembled .

The ground shook like an earthquake was occurring . A great shock wave burst out, and the sandy field shook .  Theodore barely recovered from the shock and instantly realized . ‘…No, isn’t the shaking lasting too long to just be the aftermath of the explosion?’

The impact of the explosion should’ve ceased already .  So, why hadn’t the shaking stopped yet? This meant the shock wasn’t caused by the explosion but from something under the ground .  Was it a coincidence or inevitable? Theodore looked at Paragranum for clarification .

Then he got his wish .

「Mercurius… woke up . ]

Theodore couldn’t hear it because his ears were still ringing, but he read her lips .

Kukukukukung…!

Simultaneously, a white liquid emerged from underneath the ruin . Mercury had been placed beneath the laboratory for the purpose of stopping any intrusions . There was a large volume and it started taking the form of something huge .

This was an autonomous maneuver-type guardian that Paracelsus had created out of mercury . The name was Mercurius…

This was the name which had been given by the best alchemist in the Age of Mythology to a man-made embodiment of Hermes . The guardian didn’t have a nucleus, which was the weakness of all existences with an indefinite form . It had the ability to multiply again and again, as long as there was a drop of mercury left .

Paracelsus’s guardian appeared in the image of a snake and declared in a loud voice, 『This is Mercurius’ 76th autonomous movement . It is due to an intrusion attempt without going through the procedures . 』

Mercurius gazed at the Andras excavation team . 『Power annihilation . . 』

Although the sun had only fallen a little bit to the west, the serpent was big enough to cover the sun, casting a huge shadow .  As the knights stiffened at the sight before them, Mercurius struck ruthlessly .

Its estimated length was tens of meters, while its estimated weight was several tons .  Mercurius’ body, which was entirely made of mercury, was a terrible mass weapon in itself .  From top to bottom, left to right…

As the massive mass of mercury crashed into them, many Shadow Knights were crushed to death .

――――――――――――――!

The simple movement wasn’t enough to destroy all of Andras’ barracks, but it did reach the sand dune where Theodore’s party were hiding .  Even the wind was an attack! Mercurius waved its tail lightly, but it was almost equal to magic of the 7th Circle .

“Waaack!”

“Uh!”

“This **** snake!”

Fortunately, Veronica managed to offset the wind pressure . Otherwise, the six of them would’ve been blown away . One scholar had said this, ‘A massive mass is a power in itself . ’

The six people hiding at the sand dune quickly thought about what to do next . There were still a few of Andras’ Shadows remaining, while Mercurius was already moving its body for the next attack .  If they didn’t move quickly, they would be late .

“Yellow Tower Kid, why did you stop me?”

Didn’t it seem like she was aware of Mercurius’ existence? Five pairs of eyes stared at Para with reasonable doubt .

She explained in a matter of fact manner, “That is Mercurius, a guardian of the laboratory that Paracelsus created . Its entire body is made of mercury . If Tower Master had used your breath, this entire area would have become filled with poison gas . ”

“Poison gas?”

“Even a sword master can’t escape from the poisonous influence of the mercury . Additionally, if it evaporates, it will just return to liquid again . ”

It couldn’t be defeated . That was the common thought in the minds of those who heard the explanation .  Veronica’s breath would only threaten the body . Even if it evaporated from powerful magic, it would just return to its original state . This wasn’t an opponent they could face .

They wondered why Para had omitted the mention of such a dangerous existence .

“But Mercurius is a defender who will only use force if people don’t enter through the door in a legitimate way . It is safer for us to stay back until all of the Andras group are dead . ”

“…That would be reasonable . ” Veronica nodded at Para’s explanation but then pointed toward something . “Though, isn’t it hard to leave this situation alone?”

The investigation team looked at where Veronica was pointing . On the battlefield, the Shadow Knights were being trampled on like ants .  Behind Mercurius, a man was trying to enter the laboratory through a drainage tunnel that had been exposed .

“Lloyd Pollan?!”

“Well, this is what happened . We can’t retreat now . That **** is going in alone,” Veronica said and then looked at Mercurius, which was like a mountain .

Despite being a sword master, Lloyd didn’t hesitate to run away from such a monster . It might be different if his Aura Ability was focused on destruction… but Mujak’s ‘Illusion’ ability was just like an ant before Mercurius .

So, a magician was needed to deal with that mercury serpent .  However, the person needed to be of the master level and able to cooperate with Veronica .

“Come, Kid . It is our turn . ”