Chapter 63 - Damn Reincarnation

Desert

WHOOOOOSH!

A long, reverberating sound. The wind scattered with an explosive bang. Eugene steadied his body before it could be hurled away.

His surroundings were dark. Of course they were. He had traveled through the sandworm’s long, winding body, torn open its rear end, and escaped. Since the creature had emerged in the middle of the quicksand, his escape naturally brought him deep underground.

“Ugh.”

Grumbling, Eugene got to his feet. He had flown quite a distance, without hitting any walls or sand along the way. He had prepared himself for the possibility of being buried in sand in the worst case, but, as expected, that hadn’t happened.

The summoning magic had called forth only the quicksand and the sandstorm. The sandworm itself hadn’t been summoned. It might have been lured there, but it was a creature that already lived beneath this area.

In that case, there would naturally be a sandworm’s nest deep underground. That was precisely where Eugene now stood. He looked around with an expression of utter disgust.

First, he looked up. He could see the sandworm’s rear end twitching and convulsing. He had personally given it an anus, but would that kill it? He wasn’t sure. Still, thanks to the creature, he had made it underground just as he’d wanted.

The underground space was... vast. That, too, was what he had expected. Sandworms roamed beneath the desert with those enormous bodies. Earthworms enriched the soil, but sandworms did nothing so beneficial.

They devoured underground water sources and drained oases dry. The fluids they secreted hardened the sand, creating complicated, useless passages deep beneath the desert.

In short, they were vicious, utterly worthless monsters. Perhaps this nest had once held a water source that could have become an oasis, but not a single drop of moisture remained now.

There were people in the desert who found clever uses for these worthless sandworms.

Mages.

Once they reached a certain level and people began calling them archmages, they tended to build things called “dungeons.” Whether they wanted to show how different they were or immerse themselves in research they didn’t want others knowing about...

These dungeons were an intense manifestation of the outsider streak peculiar to mages, and the most typical form was the “labyrinth.” The vast, empty desert in particular provided the perfect environment for combining the dungeons and labyrinths that mages were so crazy about.

‘Dungeon makers.’

Most monsters were harmful creatures that offered humans no benefit whatsoever, but sandworms were much loved by mages who settled in the desert. It was mages who had given them the nickname “dungeon makers,” too.

[“Once you summon one, it burrows beneath the desert on its own and makes you a labyrinth. It doesn’t take all that long, either. Ten days or so? Leave it alone for about that long, and it’ll make a complicated labyrinth deep underground.

“If there’s a water vein nearby, it gets rid of that for you, too, and it clears out the ground and the layers beneath it. Think how convenient that is! You leave it alone like that, then, once enough time has passed, go down and get rid of the sandworm. Afterward, you use magic to reinforce the labyrinth...”]

[“So? Are you going to build a dungeon in the desert and live there someday, too?”]

[“Are you crazy? What have I got to be ashamed of that I’d hole up beneath the desert?”]

Recalling that conversation from long ago, Eugene gauged the distance. He also took out his map and unfolded it. Though he had fallen deep underground, the map still marked his location.

‘There’s... a passage.’

Lucky.

No, that couldn’t be right. Eugene’s face twisted. According to the map, the underground passage extended toward Hamel’s old hometown. Could he really dismiss that as simple good fortune? Well, the desert was vast, and he wasn’t even certain yet that the passage led all the way to his hometown.

That didn’t mean he could relax. The summoning magic had originated deep underground, somewhere nearby. If Nahama’s sandcasters were using this nest as a dungeon, he would encounter sandcasters or assassins somewhere up ahead.

That much wasn’t a problem.

The problem was that Hamel’s hometown lay ahead.

Hamel’s tomb had never been made known to the world. No records of his body existed whatsoever. Even the fairy tale he had read in the Hall of Senya said nothing about whether his body had remained or what his companions had done with him.

And yet, apparently, there was a tomb. If Hamel’s tomb really existed somewhere in the world, the only plausible location was his hometown. Senya, Anise, Moron, Vermouth. Whatever those bastards had been thinking when they built it, surely they wouldn’t have buried their dead companion somewhere in Helmuth.

His hometown.

The place where an ordinary little boy had lost his family and everything else, and come to hate the Demon Kings who had stirred the monsters into action. From that moment on, Hamel had held weapons instead of farming tools. He had swung his sword blindly and joined a mercenary company that needed someone to do odd jobs.

That was where Hamel had been born.

‘It hasn’t been found in hundreds of years, so it must be hidden.’

Underground was the perfect place to hide something.

‘It’s pure speculation, but Anise coming all the way to Nahama on the pretext of a pilgrimage... Well... maybe she came to pay her respects at my tomb.’

That Anise?

‘The Kazani Desert began forming about two hundred years ago. If I make the pieces fit, the timing roughly lines up, too. What if Nahama’s sandcasters found my tomb while pulling some bullshit... and killed Senya’s familiar in the process?’

Then had Nahama been involved in Senya’s withdrawal from the world? Or had Helmuth been behind Nahama even back then?

He didn’t know. That was why he had to see for himself. Eugene headed forward without taking his hand out of his cloak.

* * *

“Raman Shulhob.”

Raman desperately clung to his hazy consciousness. Several faces wavered in his blurred vision. He couldn’t see them clearly, but the men holding him captive wore gray masks over the lower halves of their faces and turbans on their heads.

Sandcasters.

“Why has that oh-so-important Lionheart young master come all the way here? And why are you, a warrior of the emir of Kajitan, acting as a guide for a Lionheart?”

“...”

Raman kept his lips tightly shut.

He had leaped into the quicksand to save Eugene after the sandworm swallowed him. Raman had hoped to cross the quicksand and slash open the creature’s torso. A sandworm that enormous was a daunting opponent even for a warrior capable of wielding sword force.

Even so, Raman had wanted to save Eugene. It was the wind Eugene controlled that had saved Raman as he was being sucked into the quicksand. That moment was vividly etched into his eyes.

When the wind supporting Eugene’s body had moved toward Raman, Eugene had faltered, unable to remain airborne. Nearby, the sand tornado had been growing ever larger... and while Eugene’s movements were restricted like that,

the sandworm had surged up from below.

‘To save me... he gave his own life...!’

In truth, if he thought it through carefully, Eugene hadn’t been swallowed by the sandworm—he had jumped in of his own accord. But Raman couldn’t entertain that thought. Who in their right mind would willingly leap into a sandworm’s maw?

In other words, Eugene Lionheart had sacrificed his life to save him. Why? Raman couldn’t fathom the reason. All that mattered to him was that he owed Eugene his life.

“Is Tairi Al-Madani trying to betray Nahama?”

The sandcaster leaned his face closer as he questioned Raman.

“His duty is to turn away those who must not come here. If, instead of doing that, he even provided a guide...”

“What are you doing down here, so deep underground?”

Raman forced the words out.

“That oasis. It was an illusion. The sandstorm was caused by magic, too. Wasn’t that your doing?”

“You don’t seem to understand your situation.”

The sandcaster clicked his tongue and shook his head.

CRUNCH!

The pressure binding Raman’s limbs intensified.

“Ghh...!”

“We ask the questions. Are you keeping your mouth shut for the sake of your master’s honor? It’s pointless, Raman Shulhob. You’ll die either way, but if you must die, wouldn’t a peaceful death be preferable to a painful one?”

“Then kill me...!”

“Why did Eugene Lionheart come to Kazani? He has been moving with a clear purpose ever since he entered Nahama. We can only conclude that the emir of Kajitan intends to betray Nahama.”

“Betray...?”

Raman’s eyes became bloodshot. Betrayal. That word made him realize many things. There were sandcasters in Kazani. They were creating sandstorms to forcibly expand the desert. And the emir of Kajitan knew about it and was cooperating...

“You invade another country’s territory through such underhanded means!”

Raman roared. At the sudden shout and the spit flying from his mouth, the sandcaster frowned and stepped back.

“Invade? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Why are you here when you should be protecting the royal family?! That sandstorm...!”

“You are gravely mistaken, Raman Shulhob. Do you think a force this small could cause desertification?”

The sandcaster asked with a disbelieving laugh.

“I know warriors are ignorant, but hearing something this ignorant leaves me unable to do anything but laugh. Creating a sandstorm large enough to cause desertification would require a good few hundred sandcasters.”

CRRRUNCH!

The sand binding his body continued to tighten.

“Ghhh... Th-then... why are you... here...?”

“There’s no reason to answer.”

“If you’re going to kill me anyway, at least tell me why!”

“Why did Eugene Lionheart come to Kazani?”

“Why does that matter?! Lord Eugene is already dead! You—you killed him!”

“That’s not true.”

Another sandcaster answered with a smile.

“If Eugene Lionheart dies, it will be an accident. He entered a dangerous desert where he should never have set foot and met with unavoidable misfortune.”

“That’s absurd!”

“Tairi Al-Madani will have to take responsibility for his death. After all, you were the one who guided him. The family head may favor him, but ultimately, he’s an adopted son taken in from a collateral branch. Hand over the head of a major city’s emir, and even the Lionhearts will temper their anger.”

“You sons of bitches!”

“If you want to help your master, you should tell us what you know. Depending on the reason, we may be able to smooth this matter over more easily.”

“Smooth it over...? W-wait. ‘If he dies’? Is Lord Eugene alive?”

Raman clung to his fading consciousness. Right now, his priority had to be Eugene, not the emir of Kajitan.

“You care more about Eugene Lionheart than your master’s head?”

“What an obvious ploy. Are you claiming that guiding Eugene Lionheart was your own decision, rather than Tairi Al-Madani’s order?”

“Where is Lord Eugene?!”

“There’s no reasoning with him.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just kill him? His life is worthless anyway.”

“No. We might be able to use him as a hostage.”

They didn’t know why, but Eugene Lionheart had tried to save Raman Shulhob. The sandcasters stopped questioning Raman and gathered among themselves.

“What happened?”

“He was swallowed whole by a giant sandworm... Is it possible to survive that?”

“There’s a hole in its rear end.”

“So you’re saying he was swallowed by a sandworm and bored his way out through its rear?”

The more they confirmed the facts, the less sense it made. The sandcasters shook their heads with disbelieving laughs.

“We can’t let him go poking around wherever he pleases.”

“... The assassins are searching the nest. They’ll capture him soon enough.”

“What do we do afterward?”

“... It wouldn’t be wise to antagonize the Lionhearts. We can erase his memories and dump him outside Kazani. No, it would be better for us to take Eugene Lionheart under our protection. We might even receive a reward for the favor we’ve done him.”

“It’s fortunate that person isn’t here. If they were...”

“Shh.”

Just as the alarmed sandcaster pursed his lips and shushed the other,

BOOOOM!

A tremendous crash shook the underground space. The sandcasters flinched and rose to their feet. Squeezing their eyes shut, they resonated their mana and discovered the cause of the noise.

The same scene appeared in their darkened vision. Not far away, Eugene Lionheart was approaching in a pitch-black cloak. Every swing of his silver-blue sword shattered a magical barrier meant to block his advance.

‘What about the assassins?’

Their vision expanded. Along the path Eugene had taken, corpses lay strewn everywhere. Assassins and sandcasters.

‘So quickly?’

Every assassin remaining here was trained well enough that they could not be taken lightly. The same was true of the sandcasters. This was not a force that a single person should have been able to slaughter.

What was more, this battlefield favored the assassins and sandcasters. The nest the sandworm had made was already a complicated maze, and the sandcasters who had used it decades ago had made it even more intricate.

The assassins stationed here knew the maze’s layout so thoroughly that they could navigate it with their eyes and ears closed. Under these conditions, even skilled warriors would struggle to detect their concealment techniques, and their sudden ambushes were enough to ensure a warrior’s throat was cut.

The sandcasters enjoyed an advantage, too. They might not be able to create the enormous sandstorms they could aboveground, but here, where everything around them—even the floor and ceiling—was sand, their sand magic possessed power beyond their usual level.

They had chosen the wrong opponent.

If Eugene insisted on entering Kazani, he would inevitably clash with sandcasters or assassins. The assassins’ attack at the oasis had confirmed that.

And so he had come underground. He was also certain that sandcasters were somewhere here and that assassins were lying in hiding.

He would never have advanced if he hadn’t been confident he could protect himself.

The assassins and sandcasters weren’t the only ones with an advantage in this labyrinth. Eugene—Hamel—was familiar with every kind of battlefield.

He had fought assassins before, too.

Unlike assassins who learned their craft through grueling training, many of Helmuth’s demonic beasts and demons were born assassins. Demonic beasts that moved from shadow to shadow. Demons that struck from behind without betraying the slightest hint of their presence.

He was thoroughly accustomed to being ambushed under unfavorable conditions.

And yet he had survived. Every fucking ambush had added another wound to Hamel’s body. With every wound, he had grown more accustomed to surprise attacks,

until, at some point, the wounds had stopped accumulating.

‘The assassins here aren’t particularly impressive. Their concealment is only a matter of technique... and they aren’t even proficient at controlling mana.’

Nahama’s infamous assassins were far better than this. The very best possessed concealment abilities on par with demonic beasts and demons, and were so vicious and relentless that it was hard to believe they were human.

The assassins Eugene had faced so far had been persistent, but not vicious.

‘If this place mattered to Nahama, there would be proper assassins here instead of these bastards.’

The troops were far too insignificant.

There were plenty of sandcasters, too, but their abilities didn’t seem particularly impressive. If this really were a strategic stronghold for invading another country, a larger, better-trained force should have been stationed here.

Even if invasion wasn’t the purpose, if some other purpose made this place valuable, appropriate precautions should have been in place.

The defenses here were far too shoddy.

‘Is Nahama... is the Sultan not involved?’

His sharpened senses scanned his surroundings. The instant an attack emerged from hiding, his body reacted with ease. And that wasn’t all. Eugene knew how to conceal himself, too. This maze was a convenient battlefield for him as well as for the assassins.

Then there was magic.

The Ring Flame Formula amplified the mana under Eugene’s control, and he used it to create a mana shield. The Cloak of Darkness alone could easily block spells up to the Fifth Circle. Now, a mana shield had been added on top of that.

In other words, he could simply disregard most magic head-on. Of course, he didn’t have to. Eugene preferred dodging and counterattacking to stupidly enduring hits.

“Aaagh!”

Magic hurtled at him from the front: sand bullets honed to sharp points. Eugene lifted his cloak, swallowed the spell, and sent it back. He had already finished calculating the spatial coordinates of his target.

The returned spell slammed into the sandcaster’s chest. An ambush followed. He thought he had killed quite a few, but there were still plenty of assassins. Eugene didn’t bother moving to respond. The wind wrapped around him blocked the assassin’s blade and tore the attacker’s body apart.

‘More and more of them are coming.’

His senses spread far and wide. The assassins and sandcasters scattered throughout the underground maze were converging on him.

‘And the passage keeps going.’

Eugene checked the map in one hand.

His hometown was close.

“This feels a lot stranger than I expected.”

Emotion stirred within him.

“I never imagined I’d see my own tomb while I was alive.”

The Ring Flame Formula amplified his mana. Each time the stars’ rotation accelerated, the color of the flames surrounding Eugene changed.

“And I never imagined I’d run into grave robbers, either.”

“Intruder!”

An assassin dropped from the ceiling and thrust a dagger at him. It was an obvious ambush, but the word the man shouted struck a powerful nerve.

“Intruuuder? You fucking bastard!”

Eugene roared and cast a spell.

FWOOSH!

Brilliant blue flames engulfed the assassin’s body. He had meant to burn the man alive, but the fire spell, amplified by the Ring Flame Formula, was far too powerful. The man became a heap of ashes before he could even let out a proper scream.

“You fucking thieving sons of bitches!”

Shouting, Eugene charged forward.