Chapter 47: The Dungeon Raid on the South

For a brief moment he saw Arielle below the icy mountain surrounded by huge figures.

The Ice Golem guarded the ice girl. Their body was made of huge piles of ice and the eyes glowed blue.

There was a man behind her. He was wearing a white robe and his blue hair was blown by the harsh chilling winds. He turned upward where Silvester was standing.

The man’s blue eyes locked onto him and it smiled. A cold voice echoed inside Silvester’s head. And it sent chills down his spine.

’Bring me the key!’

His eyes witnessed how Arielle screamed with terror when the man strangled Arielle using his hand and lifted her from the ground.

Silvester’s eyes snapped open. He gasped for air and looked around.

The Duke was standing in front of him. "What happened?! Are you alright?"

Silvester was sitting on the wooden chair and had passed out minutes ago.

His breathing became heavy when he remembered the ice spirit’s voice. The man wants the key.

Silvester slowly looked at the unfinished key on the table and at the three Space Crystals. His heart began beating faster when he realized it wanted to open the spatial door.

The Duke stared at him. "Say something Silvester. What happened?"

The child slowly looked up and looked at the Duke so seriously. He had never seen Silvester like this before.

Silvester was about to lie again but he remembered Arielle’s voice. It’s not the voice he knew ever since he met her.

"The thing that took Arielle..." He whispered but loud enough for the Duke to hear. "It knows she’s there but it can’t find her yet."

The Duke’s expression darkened and he slowly turned toward the furnace.

"Then we must open a path to save her before it reaches her."

Silvester looked at the unfinished key and wanted to finish it already. But something stopped him from moving. The ice spirit wanted the key and opening a gate might be exactly what it wanted.

He clenched his fist until it turned white.

"No," Silvester said and stood up and grabbed the key frame. "We’re not opening a door for that thing."

The Duke stared at him. "Then what is your plan to save my daughter?"

Silvester looked at the Space Crystals and a new idea flashed inside his mind. A deadly idea.

He once learned from his experience in the previous life that a locksmith didn’t always need to open the same door. Sometimes the safest way is to create a new door to unlock.

Silvester smiled and stared at the Duke. He picked up his carving knife.

"What are you thinking?"

"My Lord, I need more books. All of them," he said, thinking of the Magic Spell Section in the library.

Duke Voulstridge stared at Silvester who just finished reading ten books in almost an hour. He walked beside him to see the unfinished spatial key.

The three Space Crystals continued to glow faintly on the large table.

Finally, the Duke crossed his arms.

"What’s next?"

Silvester blinked.

"Hmm." He did not say anything, instead he picked up the unfinished key frame.

The metal was warm in his hand. A small Space Crystal was embedded in its center.

The structure looked simple but Silvester knew how dangerous it was.

One wrong calculation. And instead of opening a path to Arielle... he could create a gate to somewhere completely unknown.

Silvester looked at the Duke. "The creature wants me to open the path it created."

Duke Voulstridge’s expression remained serious. "How do you know?"

"It told me," Silvester said calmly.

The Duke’s eyes narrowed at the second crystal at the center of the key. He remained silent.

"What happens if we open the original path?"

Silvester’s expression became serious. "I don’t know," he sighed, "but I know enough."

He pointed toward the three Space Crystals.

"If you know the destination and have enough power, you can force the door open."

"And?" The Duke said, patiently waiting for him to answer.

"And the spirit is waiting on the other side," he said, tapping the wooden table.

The Duke’s eyes became colder.

Silvester continued talking.

"If I use this to unlock the same path Arielle used..."

He paused and slowly shook his head.

"We might be opening a direct road to it."

The Duke breathed out heavily and stared at the crystals.

"What is your alternative, kid?"

Silvester smiled slyly. "A different door."

The Duke frowned in disbelief, knowing that it is impossible. The well-known knowledge of spatial paths of this world requires a sole entrance and exit. No two entrances can exist in a single location.

Silvester turned the key frame in his hand and continued. "Magic isn’t as simple as you think, Silvester," the Duke said, crossing his arms.

Silvester nodded.

"If I can understand how her mana created the path, I might be able to recreate a similar opening somewhere else."

The Duke looked toward the empty center of the table.

"Where?"

Silvester’s eyes moved toward the piled books he just read.

"I’ll choose the entrance, the destination will still be Arielle."

The Duke stared at him and asked, "How about the spirit?"

"It will be waiting at the wrong door."

The Duke finally understood. The smartest solution was to avoid the lock entirely.

Silvester continued to read any book related to spatial magic, mana circuits, dimensional structures, and ancient seals.

Several hours had passed. The table was now completely covered with mana diagrams and handwritten notes.

He had also drawn several strange circles across a large sheet of paper.

The Duke walked closer.

"Any progress?"

Silvester pointed at one of the books.

"Spatial magic isn’t supposed to be Arielle’s skill..." Silvester said when he realized something.

"I know," the Duke said, avoiding Silvester’s gaze.

Silvester slowly lowered his pencil. "My Lord, what’s the truth?"

The Duke looked toward the unfinished key and finally spoke.

"Her mother could use spatial magic. Limited teleportation. That’s normal."

Silvester’s eyes narrowed.

"No." He turned toward the Duke. "Even short-range teleportation requires an enormous amount of mana control. Unless..."

Silvester turned back to the book and opened several pages.

"What?"

Silvester looked toward him. "Lady Silvia used tags."

The Duke’s expression changed.

Silvester continued reading.

"Spatial tags allow a mage to create fixed destinations," he said, pointing at a diagram.

The Duke stepped closer while Silvester pointed at three symbols.

"A mage places a tag somewhere and can return to it."

The Duke stared at the page.

Silvester’s mind began moving quickly. Everything suddenly felt connected. There was a pattern.

Silvester looked at the Duke.

"My Lord, I’m so sorry, but can I ask something?"

"Go on."

He breathed slowly and asked, "How did Lady Silvia die?"

The room became silent. He immediately regretted asking.

Duke Voulstridge’s face didn’t change, but he could feel the atmosphere did.

The Duke slowly walked toward the window and looked at the dark empty garden.

"She disappeared ten years ago. W-we went on a dungeon raid in the South to join an expedition," the Duke said, sadness filling his face.

The Duke continued looking outside.

"Some adventurers already entered the dungeon when we arrived. We followed their track and the entrance of the fifth floor collapsed. She—" The Duke stopped and gulped.

A few seconds of silence, and he continued.

"The falling rocks hit her. Her body was not found."

Silvester froze and realized it was the same dungeon he entered ten years ago.