Volume 6 Chapter 43-2 Just Teleporting All the Time
"Livia's one thing, but..."
Randy glanced over at Cecilia.
Catching his look, Luke gave a firm nod. "I know."
Cecilia's sudden engagement proposal—
How they handled it would definitely shape her future with Luke.
In other words, this was a critical moment for the two of them.
"You too, you know. This is your one and only chance."
Randy, seeing the seriousness in Luke's eyes, nodded and replied, "I get it."
A total solar eclipse that could be seen every few hundred years was taking place at that location.
If they missed this spring, it would be another few hundred years before it could be observed around the royal capital again.
They could not afford to fail, especially not if it meant reclaiming Ellie's body.
Both of them were at a critical juncture.
What lay ahead was, without a doubt, a battlefield where they could not afford to fail.
"Don't worry about behind you; just go all out."
"Yeah. I've never worried about you... no, I've never worried about you all, 'my team.'"
Luke extended his fist, and Randy, smiling, bumped his fist against Luke's.
A little hesitant, Randy and his group bid farewell to everyone and then made their way to Victor to meet up with Clarice.
* * *
"So... you brought back what seems to be an ancient artifact of a door..."
As dusk fell and the bonfire illuminated the backyard, a stone door lay rolled out before Alan, who cradled his head in anguish.
"It should be fine, right?"
Randy, pouting, continued explaining the usefulness of the door.
If they could analyze this door, it might solve the transportation method for Clarice to travel between the capital and the new town.
"It's about being practical, after all."
"That is certainly true, but..."
Alan sighed, acknowledging that having the physical object did lower the hurdles for analysis significantly.
Moreover, if there was one more important thing...
"Let's consider it as having hindered the opponent's plans."
Alan looked down at the door, and Randy nodded in agreement.
They did not know where this door led, but it could not be ruled out that the Empire might use it.
After all, a beast never seen before was nesting in the cliffs where gigantic birds resided.
Just like a guardian hiding the existence of the door.
"Have you ever heard of a fusion of beast and human?"
"Of course not; a rural lord wouldn't know anything about that."
Alan, shaking his head, was not feeling well.
Having been an adventurer in the past, Alan was somewhat knowledgeable about beasts.
However, he had never seen or heard about the beasts that Randy and Liz had mentioned.
"It is likely a chimera."
Ellie appeared from the door leading to the backyard.
Randy and Alan squinted slightly at the light spilling from the mansion.
"A chimera? Not a chimaera?"
As Randy tilted his head, he spoke about the name of a beast that also lived in the Beast Forest.
It was the creature with a lion's body, a goat's head, and a tail like a serpent, a puzzling beast whose decision-making process was a mystery.
"A chimera is a type of synthesis beast. Long ago, it was the result of horrific alchemy that sought to evolve humans and beasts repetitively."
"In other words, that bird-human is..."
"Some fool has probably managed to recreate the methods to produce an incomplete chimera."
Someone had deployed the chimera created to guard that place.
Given the situation, the only entity that came to mind was the Empire.
"Alchemy..."
Randy muttered, recalling sensations from his time in modern Japan.
When it came to alchemy, it was associated with transforming base metals into precious ones.
The image of research for achieving immortality was also strong.
Since such subjects had developed into chemistry today, the dubious studies of medieval alchemists should not be dismissed lightly.
Of course, in this world, a similar perception existed.
Although magic culture had advanced, many of the tools known as magic tools supporting it were based on alchemy.
For instance, the methods for extracting energy from magic stones and the circuits for transmitting that energy to tools all derived some benefit from alchemy.
However, it seemed that alchemy in this world was not limited to just that.
It apparently involved actually fusing humans and beasts to create new life.
Furthermore...
"I remember that there was something similar in necromancy, where one needed to be well-versed in alchemy to do it..."
Randy was recalling the countless coffins they encountered in that ruin.
There was a technique to extract the soul of a being, and it was said by Director Lucius that only Charlotte, who was well-versed in alchemy, could perform such a technique.
"The study subject of alchemy is also life. It's not surprising that it has connections to necromancy."
Ellie nodded, while Randy grimaced at the notion of such a dangerous field of study.
"That's right. That's precisely why it has been regarded as taboo, hidden away, and has fallen out of use."
"Some fool has unearthed it and brought it back to life. What an annoying guy."
Despite Randy's sigh, the glances Alan and Ellie directed at him conveyed a message of "you shouldn't be talking."
After all, he had pulled out the teleportation gate meant for Clarice's mode of transportation.
"If there's still a chance that the gate is alive, we should probably sink it to the bottom of the river until the investigation begins."
"That's a good idea. We could even chain it and throw it into the river."
Alan couldn't stop himself from giving a wry smile at the cheerful nods of the two.
While he didn't know the intentions of others, if they were planning to use the teleportation gate, it would likely involve sending someone through or perhaps they themselves would be the ones passing through.
However, having the exit at the bottom of a river, even temporarily, would not be ideal.
Alan shuddered slightly, bringing his arms around himself as he remarked that it was getting cold.
Winter had ended, but the early spring nights were still chilly.
It wasn't just the temperature; he was also imagining someone who might be teleporting to the cold riverbed.
"It's about time for dinner. Both of you should come back before it gets too late."
After saying just that, Alan disappeared into the room that Ellie had left wide open.
"Well then, shall we go sink it right away?"
At Randy's words, Ellie nodded, and together they teleported to the port town with Randy carrying the gate.
* * *
"Release."
Under the moonlight, as Randy's drained voice echoed, the precious ancient artifact was tossed from the boat into the river.
The incident, which would likely drive experts to madness if they heard about it, concluded with a loud splash and the swaying of the boat, disappearing into the night's darkness.
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