Extra in a Romance Fantasy

172 – Center (3)

“…….”

This time, I said nothing.

I simply waited for Beluid’s next words.

Honestly, I had no idea what to say.

Beluid’s answer had strayed quite far from my expectations.

Therefore, rather than hastily expressing my doubts, I chose to remain silent and wait for Beluid to explain further.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Beluid’s mouth to open again.

“Do you know about the characteristics of the Academy?”

“…Characteristics, you say?”

Surely, he wasn’t referring to it being the continent’s premier educational institution or a gathering place for all sorts of talents from across the land.

“Oh, I see I may have confused you a bit. My apologies.”

Seeing my reaction, Beluid quickly added more.

“To be more specific, I’m talking about the Academy’s ‘spatial’ characteristics.”

The spatial characteristics of the Academy.

“…Are you referring to things like dungeons or special flows of magical energy?”

The most representative example would indeed be the dungeons.

Dungeons only appear at the Academy on the continent.

While there are similar phenomena in the Darville Forest, they are merely similar; strictly speaking, only the Academy is home to what can be classified as dungeons.

And these dungeons are known to emerge due to spatial distortions or fluctuations.

Another thought that followed was the flow of magical energy.

The Academy exhibits a magical flow that is different from other external regions.

As a result, barriers cannot be properly established, and installed magic cannot endure for long.

When thinking of the Academy’s spatial characteristics, these two aspects came to mind.

“That’s correct.”

Beluid nodded lightly.

“And the very center of these spatial characteristics is this mountain.”

“……”

That was something I had anticipated.

Dungeons only appear in the mountains and the surrounding forests, and the unique flow of magical energy at the Academy grows stronger as one approaches the center.

“This is a fact known only to a very few within the Academy.”

Soon, Beluid began to speak of something that could hardly fail to pique my interest.

“In fact, the Academy is a very unstable place spatially.”

“……”

“The dungeons you mentioned, as well as the special flows of magical energy, can largely be attributed to the spatial instability that the Academy possesses.”

Hearing that, a possibility flickered through my mind.

“I have been staying here all this time to stabilize the Academy’s space.”

And that expectation turned out to be correct.

I could finally understand.

Why Beluid had stayed here.

Beluid had been stabilizing the space while remaining at the heart of the Academy.

…However, even so, questions still lingered.

“…Now that I’ve heard that, I understand. You said it was to protect the Academy. But… does that really warrant mentioning the continent?”

That was the question.

Certainly, if that were the reason, then his statement about ‘protecting the Academy’ made sense.

An unstable space is prone to various accidents.

To put it simply, even a single dungeon, which is nothing more than a byproduct of such an unstable space, could cause significant damage if it went out of control. It was easy to predict that if something were to happen to the very source of that space, it would lead to even greater damage.

However, the subsequent mention.

The reference to protecting the continent was not easily comprehensible.

Just because the Academy’s space was unstable, and that instability could lead to some incident, it didn’t seem likely that it would escalate to a crisis of continental proportions.

At most, it would be a matter of the Academy being swept away, and even in the worst-case scenario, it would only affect Ferdion to some extent.

Thus, Beluid’s mention of the continent sounded nothing more than an exaggeration.

“You’re right. No matter how unstable the space is, generally, it doesn’t lead to incidents dangerous enough to mention a crisis for the continent.”

Beluid affirmed my words.

Yet, it wasn’t a complete affirmation.

“In truth, my reasons for staying here are not just one. There’s another reason. And the crisis of the continent is connected to that other reason.”

The other reason. What could that possibly be?

The answer flowed directly from Beluid’s lips.

“I was not only stabilizing the space here, but I was also serving to protect this place from a certain group.”

A certain group.

The moment I heard those words, a term sprang to mind.

“…The Order.”

“Indeed. I was defending this place against the Order.”

While my prediction had been correct, I did not feel joy.

After all, my questions still remained.

No, they had not just remained; they had deepened even further.

“…Why did the Order target this place?”

I couldn’t fathom the reason the Order had set its sights on this location.

In response to my question, Beluid spoke.

“Because this place is related to their objective.”

“……!”

He dropped a bombshell in a calm tone.

At his words, my eyes widened involuntarily.

Though I had been entangled with the Order for quite some time, I still had no idea what their true purpose was.

All I knew was that they had plotted against the entire continent, and if they achieved their goal, it would lead to its destruction.

While it might not be crucial in stopping them, I had always been curious about what the Order was ultimately aiming for.

Yet, at this moment, I would hear that word.

“…Do you know the Order’s objective, Headmaster?”

“Of course, I do.”

“……!”

With his next words, a glimmer of hope blossomed in my chest.

Perhaps I might finally uncover the Order’s purpose.

“…What is the Order’s objective?”

But that hope was met with:

“I cannot tell you that.”

Beluid shook his head, and my hope deflated in an instant.

I flinched, my eyebrows instinctively knitting together.

Beluid’s response sounded like a jest from someone playing a cruel game.

However, I quickly composed myself.

I didn’t believe that Beluid would joke in such a moment, in such a situation.

Thus, I looked at him with eyes that demanded an explanation.

And perhaps sensing my gaze, Beluid opened his mouth again.

“There is a reason. For that particular reason, it is ‘impossible’ for me to tell you their objective.”

“‘Impossible’….”

The moment I heard the word ‘impossible,’ I realized something.

That his will was not involved in this matter.

For some reason, he is unable to speak.

The purpose of the order.

“…What is that reason…?”

“I cannot tell you.”

At those words, I fell silent.

I realized that asking further would be pointless.

Yet, I was left with a question.

What could possibly be the reason that made it ‘impossible’ to teach me that?

However, I couldn’t hold onto my lingering thoughts forever.

Time was short, and the question remained.

I decided to shake off my hesitation and move on to the next question.

“…Did the leader inflict that injury on your arm?”

Beluid’s condition was quite serious.

One arm was completely missing, and his body was covered in numerous small wounds.

Considering the location he had been in, and who was waiting inside, the suspect narrowed down to one.

“Indeed.”

Beluid nodded with a bitter expression, confirming my suspicion.

“I was stabilizing the space as usual when someone invaded this place. Before I could take any action, they appeared right before my eyes. That was the leader. We engaged in battle, and while I did resist in my own way… ultimately, I was defeated. I barely escaped with my life.”

“…Is the leader that strong?”

I couldn’t help but ask upon hearing that.

Beluid is strong.

In this vast continent, where countless people live, being recognized as one of the few top-tier magicians is no small feat.

If likened to a martial artist, he would be akin to one of the Ten Blades.

No, he could be compared to one who clearly ranks above the Ten Blades.

While it’s difficult to make an objective comparison between martial artists and magicians, if we limit it to sheer destructive power or warfare, there may not be a martial artist with greater destructive capability than Beluid.

In that regard, Beluid is an exceptional magician.

Of course, if we limit it to one-on-one combat, the story changes.

If a martial artist from the Ten Blades were to face a grand magician in a duel, the martial artist would likely have a higher chance of winning.

However, that’s only true in a scenario where no precautions are taken.

If a magician is sufficiently prepared, even against a martial artist from the Ten Blades, they can adequately defend themselves and potentially win.

—

Moreover, it is said that Beluid is perhaps the greatest in the continent.

Given that he has stayed here, and knowing that the enemy is targeting this place, it is inconceivable that he would leave it unguarded; thus, this must be regarded as Beluid’s home ground.

Yet, to think that Beluid would suffer an overwhelming defeat in such a place?

It was a story hard to believe.

I had anticipated that the cult leader would be strong.

After all, the head of a group with such power, who commands even several of the Ten Swords, could not possibly be weak.

However, for Beluid, in all his preparedness, to be unable to put up a fight at all—that was clearly a strength that exceeded my expectations.

“The cult leader was incredibly strong. And… at the same time, strange.”

“Strange…?”

“Indeed. He wielded an ominous energy that felt unsettling at a glance. All the magic I had prepared was utterly shattered by that strange energy.”

“…….”

An ominous energy.

I had a hunch.

The energy that Hayden and Hamel possessed.

Perhaps, I thought, what the cult leader had was something akin to that.

“I thought I was sufficiently prepared, but… it seems I was lacking after all.”

With a bitter yet frustrated expression, Beluid continued.

“At this rate, I have no face to show to ‘that person.’”

“‘That person’…?”

At the sudden mention of the term, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.

Who on earth is ‘that person’ to be brought up in this context?

No, who could possibly warrant such a title from Beluid?

A clear question lingered in my gaze directed at him.

“‘That person’ is the one who asked me to protect this place. At the same time, they are the one who informed me of the existence of the cult.”

“……!”

I flinched, my body trembling.

My intuition screamed.

“The very reason I accepted the position of headmaster at the academy was due to ‘that person’s’ request. Had it not been for that, I would never have become the headmaster of the academy.”

As Beluid’s words continued, the cries of my intuition grew louder.

My intuition was speaking to me.

“Ask about the identity of ‘that person.’

I did not ignore that cry.

“Who exactly is ‘that person’?”

Who on earth is ‘that person’?

Who knows the existence of the order and its purpose?

Who made Beluid guard this place?

Intense questions consumed my mind.

I waited with a trembling heart for Beluid to speak.

And finally, Beluid opened his mouth again.

“That’s…”

He immediately closed his mouth again.

“…It seems I must postpone the answer for later. We have arrived at our destination.”

As expected, the moment his words ended, the unpleasant space that had surrounded us vanished.

And we stepped into an open, vast expanse.

In that moment, I realized immediately.

This was the summit of the mountain.

At the summit was a crater of immense size, fitting for its grand scale.

And then.

“You’ve come.”

A voice I had never heard before echoed.

“…The Leader.”

Beluid’s voice, clearly laced with tension, followed.

In that moment, I recognized that the owner of that voice was the Leader.

The head of the order I had sought for so long was right before me.

Under normal circumstances, I would have felt a rush of emotions and immediately sought to see that face, but I did not.

Instead, my gaze was directed not at the Leader but into the空.

With eyes trembling more than ever, I stared blankly into the空.

There, I saw a face that was all too familiar, yet one that should not be here.

“Me, ri…?”

For some reason, Mary was there.”