Chapter 88: The Invisible Ascent

The search progressed smoothly.

It was all thanks to the Elpirian warriors who had come with Rohan.

“There seems to be an ominous energy lingering here.”

“It looks like it continues along this path…”

Strangely, they could distinguish the traces of the Shadows by ‘feeling’ them.

Guided by the Elpirian warriors, the soldiers advanced slowly but steadily.

While they tracked the Shadows, Rohan wasn't idling either.

“So, it seems Shadows that have transformed into humanoid shapes give off a foul stench.”

“That’s why there was no smell from those that appeared in the outer fortress this time!”

“It seems their abilities and characteristics differ according to their forms.”

Rohan, Drake, and Leon.

The three of them shared information they knew about the Shadows and sorted through the enemies’ traits.

“If so, it’s true that they are weak against fire. They even look like vines… If I had to guess, their essence might be ‘wood,’ which is the opposite of fire.”

Leon’s speculation followed.

At those words, Rohan was quite surprised inside.

‘He’s right on the mark.’

Rohan knew the enemy was powered by the Dark World Tree, but Leon shouldn’t have known that.

He was certainly no ordinary person.

“I heard earlier that we have plenty of oil, Your Highness. If we find their main base, why not pour oil on it and burn it down at once?”

At Drake’s suggestion, Rohan stroked his chin.

It would be ideal if it could end so quickly... but would it really end just like that?

“The enemy surely knows their own weakness too. Wouldn’t they have prepared against it?”

“The chances are high.”

Leon immediately agreed, and Drake clicked his tongue.

While they were talking, Retina, who had gone scouting ahead with Martin, returned.

“Rohan. It looks like the direction leads to the Kataka Gorge we went to before.”

“What?”

“In the end, we’re circling around and heading for the gorge.”

No wonder.

He had felt they’d been going in circles for a while now.

“They’ve set a trap on purpose.”

It was clearly a tactic to waste the pursuers’ time.

“So Kataka Gorge, which we were most suspicious of, was actually their base.”

Rohan bit his lip slightly.

Honestly, Kataka Gorge was the one place he had hoped wasn’t their stronghold.

“So what do we do, Your Highness? That place is somewhere our soldiers can’t enter, is it not?”

If they entered without caution, there was a high chance only innocent soldiers would die.

“No matter how skilled the Elpirians are, once inside the gorge, even they can’t guarantee survival.”

Retina added her thoughts.

“But something’s odd. If so, how is Kazin Fabian able to stay inside? Didn’t you say there were even traces of him coming and going?”

At Leon’s question, Rohan sank into thought.

Then he opened his mouth.

“First, he gained some ability that makes him completely unaffected by the gorge’s environment. Second, there is a secret passage we don’t know about. Those are the only possibilities.”

“Hmm. With all these strange magical happenings, the first is not entirely impossible.”

While everyone was lost in thought, the army had already arrived at Kataka Gorge.

“So we’re here at last, Your Highness.”

Duke Malta approached with a complicated expression.

“This is where the search party disappeared and where we found traces of Kazin Fabian.”

He, too, did not welcome the fact that Kataka Gorge was the final destination.

“Who on earth is supposed to go in there…?”

He muttered as he wiped his forehead in lament.

He was someone who considered every soldier like family.

That was why he couldn’t just order the soldiers to go down.

This was… no matter how you looked at it, an obvious death trap.

‘This is bad.’

The chase, which had been going so well, had hit a massive obstacle.

“Should we check once more for any hidden passages?”

“Since we’ve come this far, we can’t just turn back.”

He shouted with a troubled look.

“Search the entire area around the gorge! Probe every inch of the ground!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers began to scatter.

“Rohan, there’s magical power emanating from the entrance to the gorge.”

“Really?”

Retina relayed the Elpirian warriors’ report and then slowly walked toward the narrow entrance of the gorge.

What on earth was down there that made everyone so averse to it?

And what kind of magical device awaited them?

Rohan wanted to see it with his own eyes.

And then…

Whooosh…

As the swift wind blew, Rohan carefully approached the edge of the cliff.

“…”

Looking down, Rohan felt dizzy for a moment.

It was truly dizzying.

Between the towering cliffs, the river of the gorge flowed far below, barely visible.

Its color was a deep emerald, but instead of beautiful, it looked dangerous.

“So that’s the infamous poison water.”

He had heard about it, but had no desire to confirm it for himself.

Whoosh!

A fierce wind blew again, and Rohan’s body swayed slightly.

At that moment.

Grab!

“Your Highness, it’s dangerous.”

Martin grabbed Rohan’s arm.

Worry was etched all over his face.

“Sorry, I’ll be careful.”

Rohan turned his body away.

Or rather, he tried to turn away.

If only something hadn’t caught his eye for an instant.

“Wait.”

Rohan stepped closer to the cliff again.

In the sunlit air, something faintly shimmered.

“What’s… that?”

“What do you mean?”

Martin asked with a puzzled look.

Rohan pointed in front of him with his finger.

“That—see? It’s wavering in the air.”

“Huh?”

Martin squinted.

He looked around carefully but soon shook his head.

“I’m not seeing anything. It’s just empty air…”

“Retina!”

At Rohan’s call, Retina rushed over.

“What’s wrong, Rohan?”

“Can’t you see it? Something shimmering in the air.”

Retina narrowed her eyes in the direction Rohan indicated.

It was called the Valley of Death, yet the beautiful sunlight shone down.

Amid it, she saw little specks, like dust, floating gently.

“All I see is sunlight and dust, really.”

“…Is that so?”

Rohan tilted his head.

Suddenly, his left chest felt hot.

‘This is…’

The spot where Nasga inscribed the World Tree’s blessing in his previous life.

And recently, where Yggdrasil had touched him.

“Why all of a sudden…?”

…!

Rohan’s eyes flashed wide open.

“I see it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Retina cocked her head.

“What’s going on?”

Duke Malta, who had arrived late, also asked with a puzzled face.

But Rohan didn’t answer.

Instead,

Step.

“…!”

“Your Highness!”

“What—!”

He simply took a step forward into the empty air.

Startled, Retina was about to grab him.

Tap.

Rohan’s foot stopped in midair.

As if he’d stepped on solid ground.

Then Rohan took three more steps and turned around.

“There’s a path here.”

So calm and composed.

But those who witnessed it could hardly be so.

“Wha…?”

Retina’s mouth dropped open.

“Wh-what is this, Your Highness?”

Even Martin stammered, which was unlike him.

“You’re floating in midair, Your Highness!”

Duke Malta was so shocked he froze on the spot.

Seeing their reactions, Rohan spoke.

“If you look closely, there’s a transparent path here, Duke. Sadly, it seems only I can see it.”

“A path! Is that… the secret passage?”

Looking down, Rohan answered the Duke’s question.

“This path descends like stairs to a certain spot on the cliff.”

Rohan smiled brightly, looking at his companions and Duke Malta.

“So, shall we try it out?”


---


The duke and soldiers hauled dirt and mixed it with water.

They then smeared the muddy mixture onto the transparent stairs.

“Now that we can see it, it’s just a regular staircase.”

Leon spoke with a satisfied face.

The idea to use mud had come from him.

“A magical device like this…”

Retina muttered as she gazed at the mud-caked stairs.

Even for an Elpirian like her, this was a first.

“Is it really that amazing? Don’t some Elpirians use magic too?”

“We do. But this is some high-level magic. It’s strange to think Kazin made this himself. If you ask me…”

“If you ask…?”

“He’s got a mage helping him.”

“…!”

Rohan’s eyes widened slightly.

“So, you’re saying there’s a collaborator among the Elpirians?”

“There’s the forget-me-not from before, too… There’s definitely an Elpirian connection.”

She spoke with certainty.

“Anyway, how did you even see that? Even now, I still can’t see a thing.”

“I’m not really sure. It was barely visible at first, but when the World Tree’s blessing started to heat up, I saw it clearly.”

“Hmm.”

Retina nodded in admiration.

“That would make sense. The power of the Dark World Tree is just like Lord Yggdrasil’s power… You’d be able to spot magic connected to it.”

“But why can only I see it? Doesn’t everyone have the World Tree’s blessing?”

“No. The World Tree’s blessing is only given to non-Elpirian races. We Elpirians are only affected by the World Tree. It’s called ‘protection,’ but it’s not the same.”

She explained by comparing it to filling one cup versus pouring the same water into many cups.

Meanwhile, as he gave instructions, the duke approached Rohan.

“Your Highness. I believe we’ll have to postpone entry until tomorrow.”

“Hm. The sun is setting, so we have no choice…”

Once the sun set, the shadow vines would attack again.

If they caught someone and threw them into the gorge, they would die for certain.

It was only wise to avoid such a risk.

However…

“We don’t have time, so let’s do this. The assassination team goes in first, and the search team blocks the shadows here.”

“What will you do, Your Highness?”

“I’m going in, too.”

“…I’m deeply concerned. If anything should happen to Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire…”

“If we don’t deal with this now, the entire Empire could be at risk, not just me.”

The duke was moved by Rohan’s words.

To think the Crown Prince cared so much for his country!

He couldn’t say anything more against Rohan’s resolve.

“Please, take care of yourself.”

Rohan nodded with a smile.

As the sun set in the west, the shadows grew longer.

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly and guarded the entrance to the gorge with tense faces.

Rohan looked down into the gorge one last time and took a deep breath.

“By tomorrow morning, everything will be over.”

Retina stood by his side and spoke.

“That’s all we can hope for.”

Rohan sincerely wished it so.

At that moment, the wind blew again—this time carrying a faintly sinister aura.

Rohan’s chest tingled once more.

“The Shadows are coming.”

Retina’s eyes sharpened.

“Prepare yourselves!”

Duke Malta shouted to the soldiers.

Rohan and the assassination team stepped onto the muddy stairs in the dimming light of sunset.

There was no turning back now.

The deep darkness of the gorge seemed ready to swallow them whole, but it didn’t matter.

By the time tomorrow’s sun rose, the curse of the Shadows would be broken.

Rohan believed it with all his heart.