After breaking the curse that swallowed blood, Yuric and Bella went back inside through the hole. Due to the mana of the wingless wyvern Ashborn, the area near the hole was thoroughly incinerated without a speck of dust.
The two did not let their guard down against any possible situation as they carefully searched around, but fortunately, the curse seemed to have been completely eradicated. If the curse had not replenished even a drop of blood and had trapped them for four hundred years, they would have suffered much more.
Yuric did not think that their success in breaking the curse was solely due to their own efforts. The sacrifice of those who were trapped with the curse in Verzig was necessary, which allowed them to eventually overcome the curse and expel it from this land.
The two made their way to the door of the office where the original curse was, crawled on the floor, and entered through the narrow gap. The smell of blood still lingered in the air, indicating that the curse had been in this space for a long time.
Yuric lit a light sphere to illuminate the office. However, except for a large magic artifact in the center of the room, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the room. Due to the passage of so many years, the performance of the magic artifact seemed almost depleted.
In one corner of the office, there was a withered skull. Yuric thought this might be the grand mage Baeltar who sacrificed himself for the continent along with Verzig.
The tragic hero who had to sacrifice not only himself but also all of Verzig for the continent, Yuric deeply mourned him.
While inspecting the office, Yuric stood in front of the central magic artifact and called out to Bella, who was examining something in a corner.
“Nee-san.”
Bella approached Yuric.
“I’ll try activating it once.”
“Alright.”
When Yuric placed his hand on the magic artifact and pushed mana into it, a response slowly began to occur.
The walls of the office became transparent, revealing the tower’s surroundings clearly.
At that moment, Yuric realized the truth about this massive tower.
“This… is no different from a giant wand.”
By touching the magic artifact, Yuric felt the flow of mana throughout the tower and was convinced of its structure. The tower was designed like a magical wand.
In other words, it could directly use magic as a medium. Just like using a wand. Applying this principle, it should be possible to move the tower. Of course, an unimaginable amount of mana would be required for this.
Yuric and Bella inspected up to this point and then left Verzig again. The mercenaries waiting at the bottom anxiously awaited their return, and when the two emerged from the entrance, they quickly approached them, asking what they would do next.
“We need to stay here for a few days. I will research a method to activate this.”
“Can you really do it?”
“It seems we can try moving it.”
They found it hard to imagine that such a massive structure could move. Even after everything they experienced in a single day, there was still more to astonish them.
“Could I be witnessing a historic moment firsthand…!”
The mercenaries struggled to contain their overwhelming excitement. Dagang tightly grasped Yuric’s hand.
“Call me anytime, Captain. I’ll rush to wherever you need, whether it’s the east or west.”
Dagang instinctively felt that being by Yuric’s side made life worthwhile. Though he knew Yuric wouldn’t specifically call for him, he felt it was worth a try.
The expedition team decided to camp here for a day or two. The wingless wyvern Ashborn flew around frequently, enjoying the sensation of flight it had long forgotten.
While the mercenaries sat around the campfire chatting excitedly, Yuric and Bella continued exploring Verzig’s interior. Particularly, Yuric examined the flow of mana within the tower by placing his hand on the magic artifact in the management room.
Given that the tower was likely both a demon weapon and a form of magic before circuitry advanced, understanding it with his current knowledge was challenging.
However, the essence of magic remained unchanged over time.
He discovered that Verzig was intricately woven with multiple spells, each consuming a vast amount of mana.
“If I temporarily halt these spells, I might be able to supply enough mana to move Verzig…”
Yuric believed it was feasible. By stopping most functions and focusing mana solely on movement, he could deactivate the barrier spell. Since deactivating the barrier posed no immediate danger, this was a viable plan.
Of course, before executing it, Yuric mentioned it to Ashborn and Bella, seeking their opinions. They agreed it was worth trying.
Thus, they prepared thoroughly the next morning.
The wingless wyvern Ashborn carried the remaining four mercenaries on its back into the tower’s hole. Having ridden a dragon before, they joyfully embraced the experience.
The six of them crawled into the management room. Yuric instructed everyone to sit in the corners and stood alone in front of the magic artifact.
“Let’s start.”
As Yuric placed his hand on the magic artifact, the surroundings turned transparent. The mercenaries initially screamed in shock, but upon seeing the clear view of the demon mine, they jumped in excitement.
Yuric, however, focused solely on his task. He had read the mechanism of Feretica the night before, understanding how it moved. If Verzig was considered a giant wand, this operated similarly.
“Hmm…”
Yuric adjusted the flow of immense mana. This was a technique beyond the reach of anyone who couldn’t perfectly understand mana flow.
Bella had attempted to control Verzig the previous night by placing her hand on the magic artifact but failed to comprehend or control the complex flow. When asked to visualize the working of a wand, she looked confused.
“Who would consciously feel mana while casting a spell?”
Though Bella had studied circuitry, Yuric’s method of reading and understanding mana surpassed all others. Even though she was considered a genius, Yuric’s talent was on a monstrous level.
With his hand on the magic artifact, Yuric gradually blocked and concentrated the complex flow of mana. Bella noticed the barrier spell on the wall slowly dissipating.
And…
—
Verzig began to rise slowly.
“Ah… Ahh…”
Fortunately, by drawing all the mana from the other spells, they managed to barely meet the mana requirement to move Verzig. However, the amount was just barely enough; it wasn’t possible to move it freely like Feretica. To achieve that, they needed at least ten times the current mana input. For that, they would need the treasure ‘Lazarus’ Star.’
Controlling Verzig wasn’t easy, but Yuric quickly got the hang of it by adjusting the mana flow. He followed the wingless wyvern Ashborn cautiously, who had taken the lead. This speed meant they might escape the demon mine today.
Yuric needed to stop occasionally for rest, as controlling Verzig was an incredibly difficult task.
Still, this method was much easier than walking out of the demon mine directly. Moreover, it allowed them to retrieve Verzig from deep within the mine, if possible.
Finally, in the late afternoon, Verzig escaped the demon mine. The tower slowly ascended the hill and finally settled on the cliff where Verzig originally stood.
Thump.
As Verzig landed, stirring up an enormous dust cloud, it reclaimed its original position after four hundred years.
The wingless wyvern Ashborn, seemingly pleased, circled the tower a few times before settling on top.
The six-member expedition descended the stairs to the first floor and exited through the entrance. With all magic currently halted, they could pass without a permit.
“We’re back!”
They couldn’t believe Verzig was still there, repeatedly rubbing their eyes to confirm it.
A cliff that was empty now held Verzig, and that too, in just a day.
“This must have vanished overnight, making us fall over in surprise.”
Now, people would be astonished by the sudden appearance of Verzig after four hundred years. Likely, the entire continent would be in chaos.
Even the ignorant mercenaries recognized the magnitude of this event.
“Doesn’t this make us famous?”
“We might get free drinks for life.”
The wingless wyvern Ashborn offered to take them to the village.
“Is it okay to carry them?”
“It’s natural to help a friend.”
Ashborn referred to Yuric as a friend. Smiling, he gently stroked the wyvern’s body affectionately.
“All of you, climb onto my back.”
The mercenaries and Bella climbed onto the wyvern’s back, gripping the protruding spine tightly. Then, Ashborn allowed Yuric to mount his head.
“Dragon Knight, climb onto my head.”
“…What?”
“It’s fine.”
Allowing someone to ride on the head was entirely different from riding on the back.
It meant the dragon entrusted everything to him.
“Quickly, Dragon Knight.”
Yuric glanced at his teammates on his back, grabbed Ashborn’s horn, and leaped onto his head in one swift motion.
“You are the dragon knight of Alaldur and my dragon knight.”
The wingless wyvern took off powerfully.
