Chapter 69
Chapter 69. City of Exiles
I remained quiet, fixing my eyes upon the monument honoring Bellium.
Most people gazing upon a sculpture of such massive scale would be struck by its artistry or overwhelmed by its sheer grandeur. Yet the sensation taking hold of me was entirely different: it carried a peculiar warmth, an uncanny intimacy.
Each step bringing me closer made my heart thud against my ribs with growing intensity. Strangely, the moment I stopped right in front of the stone carving, a serene calmness washed over me.
What could this sculpted figure possibly be to stir such conflicting sensations inside me at the exact same time? And what sort of hidden truth was locked within my own being?
“Mr. Minjun?”
“…”
“Excuse me, Mr. Minjun?”
“Ah, pardon me.”
Lost in the labyrinth of my own thoughts, Estelle’s voice had completely failed to reach me.
“You appear to be carrying deep thoughts.”
“I am. Putting it into words is… rather difficult.”
Indeed, how could I properly express it? The emotions swirling inside me were far too convoluted to condense into a simple statement.
“Estelle, would you mind sharing what kind of figure the dragon depicted by this monument truly was?”
“With pleasure.”
Remaining by my side, Estelle started recounting the ancient lore she had gathered over time.
Roughly eighty millennia ago—or perhaps even further back into the distant past—a dragon known as Bellium took up residence in this territory alongside his offspring.
Owing to the destruction and loss of countless historical texts, no one possessed clear knowledge regarding why he originally decided to make this land his home and build a settlement.
Even so, a solitary detail stood beyond doubt: Bellium’s motive for planting roots here was tied directly to his offspring.
Numerous scholars had sought to unveil the mystery cloaking that young dragon, but unlike Bellium, of whom shattered remnants of writing still survived, every single document concerning his child had vanished without a trace.
It felt almost as though an unseen hand had intentionally scrubbed every mention of that child’s existence from history.
Regardless of the reasons, throughout his period of residing here with his child, Bellium built a modest sanctuary intended for outcasts who had nowhere else under the sun to seek refuge. His vision was a gentle refuge where souls burdened by similar tragedies could support one another and mend their lingering scars.
Provided an individual had not carried out an unforgivable offense, Bellium sheltered anyone banished by their former kin, treating them with absolute fairness.
The tale of a sanctuary founded by a dragon to harbor the forsaken steadily traveled across the land. Spurred on by the whispers, wanderers arrived in ever-growing numbers, causing the outpost to gradually expand.
Though tens of thousands of winters had passed since Bellium took his final breath, the haven had faced several cataclysms that had brought it to the brink of total destruction.
Even through such perilous trials, the inhabitants managed to endure and guard the settlement across generations, entirely because of the precious gifts Bellium had bequeathed to them.
“What sort of gifts did Bellium leave behind?”
“Beyond boundless riches, of course, he provided several relics crafted to shield the populace against foreign aggression.”
The sheer volume of what Bellium had stored was reputed to transcend anything an ordinary mind could fathom.
“In fact, several of Lord Bellium’s ancient implements remain operational this very day, after thousands of generations.”
“Is that true?”
Having built the settlement with his own hands, Bellium must have possessed profound affection for this sanctuary. Yet the idea that creations forged tens of thousands of years ago could still function felt surreal.
“Naturally, their output is a shadow of what they exerted when first forged. Our artisans painstakingly service Lord Bellium’s relics at steady intervals, but modern craft has its inevitable boundaries.”
Estelle explained further that, as a consequence of this degradation, incursions by vicious creatures and the ruin they left in their wake had grown steadily more frequent.
“Understood. I appreciate the explanation.”
While deeply intriguing, the history offered zero insight into whatever link tied me to this carved visage. Perhaps diving into deeper accounts would eventually reveal a thread worth pulling.
As I sorted through my thoughts in silence, Estelle captured my gaze and voiced a gentle request: “Would you be willing to share your background as well, Mr. Minjun? I find myself wondering about the realm you hail from, and what sequence of events delivered you here.”
“Certainly, I can do that.”
It occurred to me that Estelle might pick up on some detail within my recounting that could point the way back to Earth.
Yet just as words formed in my throat, a deep, ominous chime echoed throughout the entire settlement.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
“This cannot be good.”
Even as I wondered about the tolling, the townsfolk raised their voices and shifted into action with impressive discipline. The young and the elderly sprinted toward fortified bunkers, while the rest rapidly reached for weapons.
“What is happening?”
“A creature… raid. The count of bell tolls indicates the threat tier. Under normal circumstances, it strikes only once or twice.”
Estelle’s features hardened into grim resolve as she continued.
“Three tolls signify that the crisis is vastly more catastrophic than regular incursions.”
Taking in the tense expressions of the defenders rushing toward the perimeter walls, it was unmistakable that this was no ordinary skirmish.
“I will take part in the defense.”
“You will fight, Mr. Minjun?”
Estelle turned to me, her voice tinged with sheer astonishment.
“Indeed. I am a Hunter—or rather, a combatant. If my blade can be of use here, I ought to stand with you.”
Perhaps it was merely the conditioned reflex of a Hunter to dive into combat the second beasts materialized. While I could not predict what sort of monstrous beings lurked outside, the least I could do was draw steel and take my place on the line.
Furthermore, my survival was hardly in immediate danger. Deep within my spatial dimensional storage rested the devastating artifacts provided by Sia, giving me very little reason to harbor terror.
“You have my gratitude. Please, stay close to me.”
I hurried in Estelle’s wake, and bolstered by the support of an arcanist who linked up with our sprint, we scaled the ramparts of the defensive wall in moments.
I had been pondering what sort of horde could terrify an entire population into such frantic readiness. The moment the outer fields came into view, the answer became glaringly clear.
“What kind of madness…”
Though I believed countless incursions within Gates had hardened me against the sight of monstrous horrors, never had I witnessed such an ocean of beasts gathered in a single expanse.
The skies were smothered by vast flights of wyverns of all proportions. With relentless brutality, they threw their massive frames against the shimmering shield enclosing the settlement, seeking to smash it apart.
Nor was the terror confined to the upper air. Casting my gaze downward, an unfathomable sea of entities swarmed across the earth near the ramparts.
Their sheer density was dizzying, accompanied by a baffling diversity of species. Everything from petty slimes, usually placed at the lowest tier of danger, up to towering Minotaurs recognized as A-rank threats choked the landscape around the perimeter.
Calling this an ordinary beast raid felt completely inadequate. It resembled an unbridled cataclysm of nature.
I possessed no measure of how capable the arming citizens were, yet judging by the suffocating tension, even these seasoned defenders looked completely overwhelmed by the tide crashing against them.
“Estelle, how dire is this situation…?”
“Nearly half a century has passed since I first called this settlement home. Throughout all that time, never have I seen a tide of monsters of this magnitude converge at once.”
Backing up her words, Estelle’s fingers shook violently against the riser of her bow. The surrounding sentries shared the identical terror.
Despite their varied species, differences in age, and disparate backgrounds, every defender turned toward the blackened sky with pale, grim expressions.
“Hey there, Estelle. Never laid eyes on the fellow beside you.”
Amidst the frantic motion, a dwarf calibrating a massive siege engine gestured toward my direction.
“He is the traveling combatant who collapsed near the main threshold yesterday. Upon learning of the monstrous horde, he stepped forward to stand on the walls with us.”
“Is that a fact? A stout heart on that one. Greetings, traveler. A pity circumstances deny us the pleasure of a leisurely greeting over drinks.”
“I share the sentiment.”
Seemingly cheered that a foreigner would willingly draw blood for their cause, the dwarf let out a booming laugh, reassured me with a hearty cheer, and threw himself back into setting the siege engine.
Now arrived the hour for my own armaments.
I retrieved every relic from my spatial cache that could offer tactical leverage in this fray. Foremost, I drew the Dragon Bone Sword, promptly layering myself with defensive spell amulets and every reinforcement charm on hand.
‘Facing airborne wyverns…’
Preparing for aerial maneuvers was completely unavoidable. Being bound to close-quarters swordsmanship placed me at a glaring deficit against winged adversaries, but Sia had thoughtfully included an aerial propulsion artifact specifically to eliminate that flaw.
I pulled it forth and fastened it securely. Estelle, who was busily steadying her breath by checking her quiver, widened her eyes alongside the nearby garrison.
“Traveler, where did you come across such an array of relics…?”
A young recruit who had been tracking my preparations stepped closer, voice full of awe. That broke the dam, drawing the attention of nearby combatants.
“My partner gifted them to me.”
“…Merciful heavens.”
“Is your beloved the heir to an imperial line? How could an individual amass such treasures…?”
While hardly an appropriate moment to drop vigilance, the staggering array of legendary gear proved so shocking that several defenders encircled me, bombarding me with inquiries.
“The details can wait until after.”
With every piece in position, I triggered the flight mechanism, ascending smoothly into the air above the stone path.
“Incredible.”
A fresh-faced soldier close by uttered a quiet gasp.
Though I had performed a brief test run once before, utilizing the relic within an active warzone would be a completely novel experience. The prior days simply had not presented an occasion requiring its activation.
All the while, the wyverns redoubled their onslaught against the defensive barrier, determined to shatter the dome.
“The ward is reaching its breaking point!”
“Commander! Defensive lines are ready!”
“Reports confirm the peril zone has been completely cleared of non-combatants!”
The garrison bellowed their reports, making it clear that combat preparations were finished. A towering officer of broad build, who commanded the wall, lifted a glowing crystalline orb and roared an order.
“Lower the defensive ward to First Stage!”
RUMBLE…
The very instant his command resonated, a pale illumination rippled across the translucent ward, and its vast circumference began contracting inward.
“The horde is right upon us. For what reason are you retracting the ward?”
“Localized fractures can be patched, but should the entirety of the ward collapse, reconstructing it demands immense time. For our survival, this is the only path.”
Estelle answered my bewilderment. The barrier had been sustained solely to grant the fragile civilians sufficient time to reach the underground shelters; with everyone safe, retracting it to face the beasts head-on was the only tactical option.
None of that mattered now, however.
The solitary truth that counted was that I stood on the verge of clashing against that terrifying tide of beasts.
Claiming to feel no terror would be an absolute falsehood. Yet turning tail now would be the height of disgrace.
The second the ward parted, the theater of war erupted into chaos, accompanied by deafening roars and battle cries from both fronts.
Driving the mechanical wings affixed to my spine, I kicked off violently from the stonework and propelled myself skyward.
Seconds prior to the opening clash, Estelle gripped her recurve bow with trembling fingers, her skin drenched in cold sweat.
‘May fortune smile on Mr. Minjun.’
He had lived an ordinary existence in another realm before being thrust without consent into this brutal world. Having only opened his eyes from unconsciousness recently, she had no measure of his martial prowess.
He was a traveler from an unseen realm; her intent had been to shelter him generously, exchange long conversations, and discover the nature of his distant world. Instead, this overwhelming catastrophe had descended without a shred of warning.
Considering that Minjun was nowhere near peak physical condition, Estelle had believed his safest choice was to seek shelter alongside the young and the infirm.
Instead, without displaying the faintest doubt, Minjun had offered his blade to defend a realm populated by people he did not know.
Was he feeling no dread? Looking upon those monstrous winged beasts, had he genuinely felt no impulse to flee?
The people of Elysium possessed no luxury to retreat; they had to bleed and hazard their lives to safeguard their home, no matter how hopeless the odds appeared.
Yet Minjun was an absolute outsider without a single root tying him to this ground.
‘What drove him to step forward so decisively…?’
Did his resolve stem from supreme confidence in his martial arts? Or had he marched into the fire despite grasping the mortal peril simply because of the integrity forged into his spirit?
The truth would unveil itself soon enough.
The heartbeat the barrier withdrew, Minjun launched straight into the swarm of wyverns without the faintest pause, trails of ash-gray Aura shimmering from his weapon, blazing across the firmament behind him.
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