Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 156: Kergo Autonomous Region (Part 5)

His friends' expressions were also uneasy. The only ones who showed no change in emotion were Canis and Arin.

Kadum: "This is why we can't open the Kergo autonomous region. Only those who have inherited the power of angels can open the gate beneath the ruins. That's why we've been waiting for you."

A gate to heaven. It wasn't an absurd notion. Shirone had experienced traveling through spacetime to Miro's dimension via the Immortal Function.

But this was on a different scale. The world created by mages and heaven were not the same. Kadum was talking about a place where gods resided.

Kadum: "Since ancient times, angels have been the intermediaries between gods and humans. They transcended time and space to convey the will of the gods. Unlockers are said to have inherited the power of angels. Please, restore Kergo's glory. For that, the tribe is prepared to make any sacrifice."

Shirone couldn't respond. Meet the gods? What could he possibly do by going to a star in the sky?

Kadum: "Kergo has faced many crises. We've endured volcanic disasters and civil wars. We've suffered humiliation at the hands of outsiders. The tribe is on the brink of extinction. Our people are starving. But we believe the descendant of angels will revive Kergo."

Amy pointed a finger and asked.

Amy: "Why don't you buy food? Relying on faith when you could be self-sufficient is like gambling with lives. We know the smuggling income from Loop is beyond imagination."

Kadum: "Kergo's situation is worse than you think. The income from the ruins shared with the Galliant government isn't enough to feed 20,000 people. Even if we survive by selling Loop, we'll be exploited by outsiders like we were one hundred years ago. As chieftain, I've been saving funds while praying for the gods' blessing."

Amy: "Even so, money and women? Did you really think that would persuade the messenger of the gods?"

Kadum: "I don't know about that. I merely followed the methods suggested by records. According to Kergo's history, one messenger of the gods demanded one hundred million gold as a condition to go to heaven."

Shirone was shocked to hear that someone had already gone to heaven. Moreover, demanding one hundred million gold—it was something only a person who valued money over life would do.

No, perhaps he was a powerhouse so formidable that even the thought of going to heaven wouldn't frighten him. But is such a thing even possible?

Shirone: "What happened to that person? Did they return safely?"

Kadum: "Of course. Two hundred years ago, the messenger of the gods left with their companions for heaven, and there, they heard the will of the great Ra and returned."

Shirone: "How did they return? Did they come back through the entrance?"

Kadum: "That's impossible. As you might guess, the gates of heaven operate through the Immortal Function. It's because of the gates that the Immortal Function is possible. However, in heaven, there is no medium to activate the Immortal Function, so to return, one must use another method."

Shirone: "What method is that?"

Kadum: "I don't know the details. However, there are records stating that when they returned, it wasn't a profitable venture."

A heavy silence fell.

The fact that even those powerful enough to traverse the unknown space where gods exist as a means of business said it wasn't profitable implied that returning by one's own power was impossible.

Finally, Canis' words made sense. Not being able to return was, in some ways, a more severe problem than death.

This wasn't like boarding a ship to a distant land. It was about traversing time and space to reach a star somewhere in the universe.

Kadum: "I'll be honest with you. I know it's dangerous. But the fate of our tribe is at stake. If you help Kergo, I'll do everything in my power. If you want gold, I'll give it to you. If you want the women of Kergo..."

Shirone: "No, I don't want anything. I don't think I can accept any reward."

At the banquet, they had agreed to at least hear the proposal, but now the situation was different.

Honestly, even if they offered a fortune, his thoughts wouldn't change. However,... a curiosity as intense as the fear of death had arisen.

After pondering the best response, Shirone spoke without needing to consult his friends.

Shirone: "I'll think about it."

Left alone at the altar, Kadum gazed at the stars.

The servile demeanor he had shown Shirone and his companions was gone. Standing tall, chin raised like the ruler of Toa Mountain, he turned his gaze upon sensing a presence.

An old man, coughing, walked in from the entrance of the altar. It was Elder Hasid.

Hasid: "Are you really going to send them?"

When Hasid spoke respectfully, Kadum's expression twisted.

Kadum: "Father, it's not good to use such formal speech with your son."

Hasid: "Son? You know my son is no longer in this world, don't you, Father?"

It was a strange situation where both called each other "Father." Of course, it was even more bizarre for the white-haired Hasid to call the robust Kadum "Father."

Kadum revealed his true nature. In his gleaming eyes, the wisdom of someone who had lived over two hundred years was evident.

Kadum: "Hmph, are you still misunderstanding? Kadum's death was an accident. I didn't kill him."

Hasid: "Of course, you would say that. But if my son hadn't died, you, Father Kang, wouldn't have been able to take Kadum's name and become the chieftain again."

Kadum turned to face Hasid.

Kadum: "What are you trying to say?"

Hasid: "Father, they won't succeed. Even if that boy is the messenger of the gods, what our tribe desires cannot be brought back."

Kadum: "Even so, it doesn't matter. The treasures will remain here. If they bring back what we want, I'll give them as much as they desire, but if they fail, we'll just dispose of them. Everything is for Kergo."

Hasid: "Is that really so? Father, you gained three hundred years of life through the messenger of the gods two hundred years ago. That has nothing to do with Kergo, does it?"

Hasid glared at Kadum with disdain.

The son was frail, barely able to walk, while the father enjoyed youth with solid muscles and a sleek physique.

After gaining three hundred years of life, the chieftain had gone mad. He sought Unlockers everywhere to extend his life, spending vast sums of money. As the tribe's wealth dwindled, he even sold the Loop to outsiders.

On the other hand, it was understandable.

Eternal life. Eternal youth. If one could obtain that, what would be too precious to sacrifice?

Hasid: "Isn't it enough now? Since that day, countless Unlockers have left, but not a single one has returned. Obsession with eternal life will make you lose your humanity. Miro realized this early on and issued a warning."

Kadum: "Shut up! There's no chieftain who can lead the tribe as strongly as I can. Have you forgotten how miserable Kergo was during your time as chieftain? You're just a failed leader. Kergo needs me. I am Kergo itself!"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Hasid could say nothing as he watched Kadum howl at the sky.

The father was strong. A cunning old fox over two hundred years old, with formidable combat skills. As he boasted, he might indeed lift the tribe to greatness.

But perhaps... with him as the last, Kergo would vanish from the world.

Shirone and his companions headed to their lodgings.

The cave stretching northwest from the plaza was complex, but to Shirone, who navigated Istas like his own home, it was just an area with many annoying forks.

The lodging was a large room with beds they hadn't expected. Moreover, there was even a storage cabinet next to the bed.

It was a room for outsiders. How many people had stayed here over the years? Had they left for heaven? Or had they disappeared from the world?

The chieftain's words were so shocking that even after arriving at the lodgings, everyone remained silent.

After unpacking and organizing their belongings in the storage cabinet, they turned to Canis. The messenger of the gods, heaven, Kergo's circumstances—it was time for him to share what he knew.

Shirone: "I've kept my promise. So, explain."

Canis: "It's as you heard."

Amy sat next to Shirone. She faced Canis and fired questions.

Amy: "Heaven? Does such a place really exist? Since when you have known about this?"

Canis: "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure either. And as for that question, it might be quicker to ask Shirone. Hasid asked you, didn't he? What did you see in Miro's spacetime?"

Amy turned to Shirone and asked.

Amy: "That's right. Shirone, tell us. What did you see?"

Shirone: "Not what, but where."

Canis' guess was accurate. Shirone nodded and continued the explanation.

Shirone: "Right. It was a place somewhere."

There was a sea, and a forest was visible. In the center of a city surrounded by circular walls stood a spire.

Shirone was drawn into the light atop the spire, and when he regained consciousness, he was back at the altar.

Shirone: "That's all I saw. If that place was heaven, then Kadum's story isn't entirely baseless. So before making a judgment, I want to hear Canis' words. How much did you know about this?"

Harvest, who had been standing guard at the door, returned to Canis. Though he usually spouted vulgarities nonstop, he now remained silent.

Canis: "My master, Arcane... seems to have gone to heaven and returned."

Shirone sat up on the bed.

Arcane had gone to heaven. After being betrayed by Alpheas, he had secluded himself in a dungeon for 50 years, so it must have been long before that.

Shirone: "Did Arcane also come to the Kergo ruins?"

Canis: "No. It must have been somewhere else. As Kadum said, ruins around the world seem to be connected to heaven in some way. Of course, they're controlled by their respective nations, but 80 years ago, their existence wasn't even known. In that sense, the Kergo ruins are unique."

80 years ago, Arcane would have been only 60 years old. Not a small age by human standards, but considering how powerful Arcane was at 149, his magical prowess was at its peak.

Amy: "What's in heaven? What kind of place is it?"

Canis: "I don't know that either."

Shirone narrowed his eyes.

Saying he didn't know didn't make sense. If Arcane had experienced heaven, Canis should know about it. After all, Harvest had inherited Arcane's knowledge.

Harvest added to the explanation.

Harvest: "Canis is telling the truth. Arcane erased his memories of heaven. The only thing we know is that he went there."

Shirone: "He erased his own memories?"

Harvest: "Yes. Completely erased them. So, we don't know what he did there. It seems he didn't want the world to know about heaven."

Knowing Arcane's character, Shirone found it hard to believe. What secret could a third-class grand mage, recognized by the world, have hidden to the point of erasing his own memories?

Shirone: "Canis, what is heaven? Is it really where the gods live?"

Canis: "There's nothing certain. That's why we're going. I need to see it with my own eyes. So, take me there."

Shirone: "No, I've changed my mind. You were right. It's too dangerous. It's not a place to go out of curiosity."

Canis: "No, your thoughts don't matter. The deal I proposed was to take me and Arin there. No matter what happens, we will enter heaven."

Shirone: "Honestly, I don't want to send you either. Once you enter, you can't return through the original gate, right? And if I don't go, they won't allow you to use the gates of heaven. The chieftain seemed desperate."

Shirone's words were correct. As seen from the difficulty of the Achievement and Sacrifice Chambers, Kergo's desires weren't for the mediocre.

Someone who could prove their strength in Miro's spacetime or open all eight gates simultaneously. Without that level of ability, one couldn't even enter the autonomous region, let alone the gates of heaven.

Canis (thinking): Canis, it's time to bring it out. If Shirone doesn't go, we can't go to heaven either.

Harvest (thinking): But it's unexpected. I didn't think he'd be this scared.

Canis (thinking): Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and call it insight. His instincts seem to be working based on the information he's heard. Anyway, let's start.

After considering Harvest's opinion, Canis looked around at everyone. Then, extending his hand, he subtly mentioned the topic.

Canis: "What if I told you... there's a way to return from there?"

The atmosphere in the room electrified as Shirone and his companions' eyes lit up. A new phase had begun.

The reason Shirone saw heaven as dangerous was the significantly low probability of returning. But if there was an escape route, the story changed.

Shirone: "Explain in detail. What's this method of returning?"

Canis: "As you know, we were robbed of the inheritance our master left us by the Magic Association. We were left destitute. We didn't want to ask Alpheas for help either. Anyway, while thinking of various things we could do, Harvest dug up an old memory. While you were at school, Arin and I traveled. We found a secret place that the grand mage Viltor Arcane absolutely didn't want to reveal. Because he erased his memories, even the Magic Association couldn't find it."

Shirone: "And in that secret place, there was a way to return?"

Canis: "No. It's more than that. I'll show you."

Arin took out a cube-shaped box from her pocket.

Its surface was engraved with patterns in relief and intaglio. It was nearly black, but it emitted a rainbow-like sheen depending on the angle of light. It had gaps like a cube, and it seemed like it could be turned by hand.

Tess had never seen the object Arin was holding. But she had heard countless times about the iridescent color and the patterns that couldn't be imitated.

Tess: "That's an ancient relic. Made of a metal that doesn't exist in this world, with magical patterns engraved on its surface. I heard it can't be used until its powerful seal is broken. Am I right?"

Canis: "Yes. To add, the seal is already broken. It can be used immediately."

Tess's eyes sparkled.

The reason the Elzian family collected information on ancient weapons was because they possessed power strong enough to shake the foundations of a nation.

As far as she knew, unsealing ancient relics was internationally taboo. If a nation were to unseal a relic, it would be akin to declaring war on the world.

Tess: "Can I take a look?"

When Shirone spoke, Arin handed over the ancient relic. The friends crowded around Shirone's bed.

Shirone rubbed the surface and examined the gaps. As he turned it this way and that, he must have triggered some mechanism, as the cube split along its centerline, revealing a glass tube.

Startled, Shirone tried to press the cube back together, but it seemed fixed and wouldn't close.

Inside the glass tube, indecipherable characters appeared. Without knowing what the object was for, the possibility of it exploding couldn't be ruled out.

Tess: "Wow, it's beautiful."

On the other hand, Tess's eyes sparkled. Having grown up hearing stories of relics instead of fairy tales, she was thrilled.

Handing the cube back to Shirone, she asked Canis.

Tess: "But for what is this used. I can't figure out how to use it no matter how much I look."

Canis: "I don't know the details either. Arin found it. Here, throw it."

Tess carefully tossed the cube, but Canis, having already experimented with it, casually threw it to Arin.

Watching Arin handle the cube, Shirone realized she hadn't luckily figured out how to use it.

Most people, upon seeing an ancient relic for the first time, would try to reason based on what they knew. Shirone had thought of cubes or bombs. But Arin, free from such preconceptions, could identify the object's unique features.

Feeling the sharpness of the relic's power, Shirone listened to Arin's explanation.

Arin: "I don't know why, but pressing certain things makes it work. Like this... and then pressing this part seems to do it."

A red light shot out from the glass tube, dyeing the room blood-red. As Arin placed it on the floor, Amy covered her face with a pillow and shouted.

Amy: "What's that? Is it going to explode?"

Though it was unclear how much a pillow would help, she seemed ready for anything, peeking out from behind it to wait for the reaction.

The beeping sound of the machine grew faster, turning into a tone as the red light disappeared.

Picking up the ancient relic, Arin pointed to the spot where the cube had been and continued.

Arin: "This is the spatial input. It remembers where the cube is placed. Now, let's try it again."

As she touched the cube, the glass tube emitted a blue light this time.

Arin looked around for a suitable spot and placed the relic near Shirone.

The glass tube turned white, and a large, black sphere appeared in the air above the cube. A sphere of the same shape and size floated in the spot Arin had pointed to earlier.

Shirone: "Huh, what's this?"

Shirone was startled.

It was the black hole he had seen in Miro's spacetime. The ability to compress and pierce through space. Its purpose was clear.

Shirone: "Now I get it. This is a portal. A portal that pierces through spacetime."

Canis: "Exactly right. It's a device called the Metagate. This device will be our trump card. Let's demonstrate with Harvest first."

Canis knew no one would willingly throw themselves into the black sphere. Harvest, being lifeless, was perfect for such experiments.

When Harvest put his hand into the black hole, his hand emerged from the other black hole.

Amy and Tess jumped onto the bed.

The distance between the portals was three meters. Harvest was straddling both sides, separated by three meters. If a person had been used, the scene would have been even more bizarre.

Harvest: "Hehehe, this is always fun."

Arin: "Harvest, it's dangerous. Come out now."

Arin spoke worriedly. According to the experiment, the portal lasted for one minute.

After Harvest withdrew and the portal disappeared, Canis picked up the cube again and spoke triumphantly.

Canis: "So? It's a warp device that connects spacetime by remembering specific locations. If we memorize this location, we can return from heaven anytime."

The impossible had become possible, sending ripples through Shirone and his companions.

Tess: "This... is incredible, isn't it?"

An ancient relic that the grand mage Arcane, who had risked his life to go to heaven, had possessed. That alone was enough to be a national-level secret.

Even more astonishing was the fact that its seal was broken.

If the existence of this object were revealed to the world, diplomatic friction would be inevitable.

This wasn't the level of the magic circles used by the Parrot Mercenaries.

If a single spy infiltrated the royal palace and activated the Metagate, what would happen? Troops would flood in, and the kingdom would be on the brink of collapse. That's what ancient relics were.

Amy reached the same conclusion. Its utility aside, its monetary value was beyond imagination.

Though she didn't know how much Arcane had left Canis, there was no doubt that this single item was worth several times that amount.

Amy: "Can... we sell this?"

She knew it was a ridiculous question. But she was genuinely curious.

Honestly, she was dying to know. Ten billion? One hundred billion? If they could sell it, her 12th-generation granddaughter would bow before Amy's portrait every night. She understood why Canis had kept it a secret.

Tess thought seriously. Like an appraiser, she rested her chin on her hand and examined the Metagate, then shook her head.

Tess: "Honestly, there's no one who could buy this. At the very least, it would have to be a nation. Not just because of the money, but the repercussions would be enormous. The most ideal buyer outside of a nation would be the Ivory Tower."

In the Kingdom of Tormia, no mage could be free from the Magic Association. And other nations had their own Magic Associations.

But the Ivory Tower wasn't such a place. They were those who pursued magic regardless of world affairs. A transnational organization, their military strength was unmatched even against the entire world.

Shirone: "The Ivory Tower is called the world's sharpest, isn't it? Even if it's an ancient relic, I doubt they'd move for it."

Tess: "From a mage's perspective, you might think that. It's just an object, after all. But the possibility is there. Just look at the Ex Machina-incident 70 years ago."

Amy: "Ex Machina?"

Tess: "It's the name of an ancient weapon possessed by the Kingdom of Cotria. I heard from my father that Cotria tried to enhance Ex Machina's security by moving it to a newly built bunker thirty meters away. The international community went crazy. It felt like a world war could break out at any moment. Do you understand what that means? Just moving an ancient weapon thirty meters caused such an uproar."

Amy: "That's terrifying. What kind of weapon is it?"

Tess: "The Elzian family participated in the espionage but found out nothing. What form it takes, how big it is, even its activation principle—no one knows. But judging from the reactions of neighboring countries at the time, it's likely a map weapon."

Amy: "A map weapon?"

Tess: "It's not a weapon used on the battlefield. It's named because the top brass decides its use while looking at a map. It's said the seal hasn't been broken yet, but who knows? It's been 70 years."

Map weapons lack humanity. Maps don't show who lives there, what culture they enjoy, or what must be protected. It's a world calculated only with rulers, compasses, and pencils.