Queen’s Garden (4)

Arthur was nowhere to be seen as the seconds crawled by. In the distance, the flash of a sword could be seen three times as the giant cherry tree, probably more than a century old, fell. A beat later, the petals that had filled the air between Kleio and Arthur began to scatter and fall like grains of sand.

Shaaaaaaa-

It began to decay rapidly, and beyond the pale pinkish dust, Arthur could be seen with Beg’s sword. The boy, his cheeks flush with excitement, had torn skin all over his limbs, but his smile wasn’t pained in the slightest. A second letter, the shield fell out of his hand as he began to shout.

“Lei! There’s also a mana stone here!”

The boy shook his arms excitedly as his feet carried him back to Kleio.

‘No matter how you look at it, he’s like a kid. I think he’s excited to explore the dungeon.’

Kleio’s defensive magic also shut off as the two boys faced each other amid the vanishing foes. Arthur proudly displayed what he held in hand to Kleio as the dungeon provided a message.

[Cherry rose quartz

: A magic stone with a gentle energy.]

What Arthur carried in his bloody hand was a jewel that looked like a hardened petal.

“Look at this! How do you use it?!”

“Let’s treat your wounds first. Stay still.”

His ether was running out, but Arthur’s wounds were quite severe, so they couldn’t be ignored.

‘I’ve been circulating my ether every chance I get, but it’s still not enough. Magic double loading shouldn’t be used except when absolutely necessary.’

While Kleio opened his circle anew and used the [Heal] magic, Arthur spoke as if he had enjoyed the fight. Kleio’s response came dryly as he finished the treatment. As he wiped off the blood, he noticed Arthur’s rough hands were covered in scars.

‘Those wounds aren’t fresh.’

Unlike his youthful face, his hands were worn out and covered in old scars. The marks extended up to his wrist as if to reveal the life of the third prince. As Kleio shook his head to disperse those sentiments, Arthur, trembling with disdain, rummaged through his pockets. Eventually, he produced the pumpkin mana stone and handed it over.

“Put it with the rose quartz; both are things you should use. I asked what was so great about them… It was like that! That shield was massive!”

He received the mana stones without complaint, placing them with the bronze and cast iron.

“The guy who grew up in the military is the amazing one.”

“You don’t know what kind of force that was! If mana stones are like that, I want a sword made out of it!”

“Who would buy it?”

“What are you talking about? Weapons that can only be useful with ether should be distributed to Viscount Kision’s knights.”

“Yes, yes, I understand. Calm down a little and look around.”

At that moment, Kleio’s hand paused as he examined Arthur. Behind his back, the ten-story pagoda began to burn violently despite being normal a moment ago. A colossal fire soared up to the sky, illuminating the garden.

‘That… What is that?’

The lit-up tower began to tilt slightly, and they sensed two people approaching them at a tremendous speed. Arthur, feeling the abnormality a moment later, looked back and cried out.

“Isiel! Cel!”

A familiar voice could be heard from the shadows.

“We saw a flash of light and the sounds of battle from here! You could’ve sent up a flare instead!”

Cel, her clothes and skin ragged like Arthur’s, shouted with a big smile.

“If we sent up something like a flare, we’d get the attention of things you don’t want to.”

“The future arch-mage is seriously cautious. Lei, are you completely fine?”

Isiel, who arrived a step after Cel, spoke up calmly.

“Arthur’s also safe.”

Isiel quickly looked over the two before nodding.

“…Kleio, you too. If you can’t use magic on yourself, apply some medicine.”

“Well, with this much, I can receive treatment later.”

Kleio was cut by the beast too, but all of his nicks were shallow. Compared to the three tattered people before him, he was practically untouched.

“Isiel, are you okay? Do you need treatment?”

“Save your ether.”

Arthur stepped in as Isiel and Kleio spoke.

“But why did the building over there become like that?”

“Lei said that you had to take the flower-leaf monster’s head or burn it all. I couldn’t take its head because of the debris.”

Cel’s attitude was bright as she wiped the blood from her forehead. Kleio quickly opened a circle and [Healed] Cel and Isiel. While they were acting normal, their injuries were rather severe, so it took more ether than he had expected.

“I’m sorry that my predictions were wrong. It was too big for me to consider.”

“What are you apologizing about? It’s thanks to your defenses we got out somehow!”

Arthur urged on Cel after reassuring Kleio.

“Can’t you tell us more about the tower?”

“I set the tower on fire while Isiel covered me. She barely pulled me out when it went up in flames.”

He could stop her blood from flowing out with magic, but he couldn’t regrow hair. Cel, whose hair had been mangled, shrugged it off.

“Did you successfully activate the [Fire] magic type?”

“The results are right there to see, but it took a while to ignite it because I had to inject ether in by hand! I regret becoming a knight!”

“You did well.”

“Barely!”

It was easy to say, but Cel, who wasn’t a wizard, had shown such courage.

‘Well, Cel was one of Arthur’s most reckless colleagues in the last manuscript.’

Kleio clicked his tongue as he looked over Cel’s worn-out state.

“But that wouldn’t have been enough to break the tower.”

“I threw some bullets filled with gunpowder and poured out some white phosphorus to smash the pillars before setting the fire.”

“Apart from the bullets, that shouldn’t be enough… How much white phosphorus did you bring?”

“About a pillow’s worth? It was good to pack it in a subspace bag.”

Arthur whistled at Cel’s casual response.

“You burned fifty-thousand dinars for that beast, Ms. Tanpet de Neju. Did you recover the mana stone?”

“No? I couldn’t get it because everything was on fire!”

“Whew, I can’t help but admire how excited you get to spend your money.”

“You’re the one I’m investing my fortune in, so have some more awareness.”

Kleio, who was watching the tower, unconsciously drooled at the thought.

‘How many thousands of dinars have become ashes over there? What is this…?’

“Lei, what is it? Has your ether worn out?”

“No, I was trying to hold back tears as I thought of how much money you’ve burned.”

“Is this the true second son of Baronet Asel, the landlord of Orails?”

“The only property in my name is…”

“Stop making fun of Lei. Cel inherited it directly from her grandmother, so she is the wealthiest among our peers.”

“No, what the hell did your grandmother do?”

It was a quiet murmur as he wondered how this granddaughter could sprinkle mana stones like they were water.

“You haven’t heard? I thought Baronet Asel’s investigation team knew. My grandmother was the manager of the Etensel family, the last dynasty of Carolinger.”

Kleio paused at Cel’s sudden declaration.

“You’ve been to the Novantes de Neju hotel. It was a castle that the royal family of Etensel had prepared for in the case of exile. However, since all of the family members were decapitated, my grandmother took over what remained.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes. My mother didn’t know the size of the property until she inherited it. I still don’t know everything myself. The hotel business was all started by my mother! Hahaha.”

.

.

.

“Is that it?”

“Lei, that’s it!”

“Alright, I think we’re here.”

They had ample time remaining when they reached the greenhouse without much difficulty.

[10:14:53]

‘It was a good thing I saw the Kew Garden map.’

The book hadn’t come out, however. Professor Yung-hwan Kim was excited to have a hardcover book with plenty of illustrations, but the company had neither the human resources nor the production capability to handle such a luxurious book.

‘Fortunately, I had the benefit of overseeing those projects.’

Kleio looked at the familiar greenhouse. Initially, it had been a greenhouse for tropical plants. It was a round dome with a rusty iron frame, and the glass was old and cloudy. Of course, the size was quite different from the real-world version, as this one looked to be comparable to a five-story building with an enormous width.

‘This is the final stage. Ugh…’

While scouring the dome, the three swordsmen took care of the small beasts modeled after plants, like the ‘Biting Tulip’ and the ‘Samsagrass.’ Arthur, Isiel, and Cel weren’t tired at all; instead, as time passed, their swords became sharper and their steps lighter. Cel was on the verge of cheering, excited though they seemed to be growing more and more lost. Arthur nodded along, hoping they would achieve their purpose there. Kleio, the only one out of the four with few injuries and still suitable clothing, was drooping in the back.

“Then, before we attack the master clock, let’s take a moment…”

“Do you need to sleep?”

“Yes. If we go now, we’ll collapse, so sit.”

Cel, Isiel, and Arthur split up the roles: one to keep on watch while another rested, and the third prepared food and water. The children were accustomed to being physically exhausted as they ate biscuits, dried fruits, and sausages while drinking cold water. Even Isiel easily chowed down on the preserved meal, but it was unreasonable for Kleio to, who was nervous and still weak.

“Won’t you eat more?”

Isiel looked over at Kleio, who had stopped eating the biscuits.

“I can’t eat anymore.”

“This. It’s difficult if the wizard collapses~.”

“…Then, try to drink more water. Take some sugar in.”

“I have some marzipan in my luggage. Eat this one.”

The three’s sincere concern over Kleio made him increasingly embarrassed.

‘Ah, we have to get out of here. It’ll end when we get out.’

Now he felt it was fortunate that the time limit wasn’t 72 hours like in the last manuscript. The first dungeon, Queen’s Garden, was designed to have the protagonist and his party adapt to the system, raise their level, and have them build their friendships.

‘These guys wouldn’t be tired out even if they did this for three days straight…’

Kleio’s own stamina, however, couldn’t keep up with the demands of their work. He wanted to sleep a little bit more, but he held on as he thought of the sore back sleeping in those conditions would bring him.

‘This body is also seventeen, so is this the difference between them?’

“Thank you, but we’ll be out soon, so don’t worry anymore.”

After eating a little bit more of the biscuit, Kleio began his final briefing.

“The master clock of this world is on the floor in the middle of the dome where it’s illuminated. We’ll need to break the ceiling to reach it.”

“If you really use [Attack Circle], it would be resolved quickly. It’s a shame we can’t use a gun with ether.”

After thinking about it, Cel came up with a grandiose plan only she could think up.

“If it’s a bullet plated with magical silver, wouldn’t it contain ether?”

Kleio dismissed Cel’s proposal.

“Mana stone silver bullets can certainly contain ether, but it will be blocked by the carnivorous plant beasts under the dome. You have to break through them with a sword.”

“Ha, even if it’s useless, we need a wide range.”

“You know, my circle range is only twenty meters, so I have to get rid of the nasty guys down there first.”

Looking outside, the stairs inside the greenhouse were entangled in tropical plant vines. As they approached, red and blue carnivorous plants began to move around and drip liquids.

“There’s no place to go outside. We can’t climb the dome.”

Isiel, who had been examining the greenhouse, delivered the bad news. They had no choice but to go inside.