Acquiring the key to unlock the hidden subspace left by the mage Mortalia.
The mage, either on par with or superior to the ancient grand mages who captured and experimented on the golden dragon Areolus, left hints of this in the ancient tablets found beneath Bates’ underground. The high probability that Mortalia had approached the secrets of the world.
‘Especially the fact that it’s hidden in a subspace makes it even more suspicious.’
Relics left by ancient grand mages are occasionally discovered. Artifacts containing ancient spells, magical knowledge, or even the mages’ own spells.
This is because, as long as something exists somewhere on the continent, it will naturally be discovered over time.
However, unlike those mages, Mortalia created a new subspace to hide something. She made it accessible only by meeting extremely rigorous conditions.
‘She ensured it couldn’t be discovered by chance. The reason for that could be…’
It could be that she was possessed by a paranoid obsession with ownership and didn’t want to leave her knowledge to anyone. But if that were the case, why bother creating a subspace and leaving mementos? She could have just destroyed everything.
The remaining possibility is…
‘She didn’t want her traces to be discovered accidentally and become known to the world?’
Khan recalled his conversation with Alpha.
‘You mentioned being pursued by the Pantheon for acquiring forbidden knowledge. And when you asked the Goddess of Justice about the one who created the soul secret, didn’t the Goddess say…
‘Forbidden knowledge always has its reasons. If you value your life, don’t delve too deeply.’
This had seemed like a simple warning about the immense danger associated with someone like Mortalia, but…
‘It also means the sorceress sought forbidden knowledge.’
Like Alpha, the sorceress might have been pursued by the Pantheon. To leave the forbidden knowledge she discovered to someone, she created a subspace that could only be opened under certain conditions.
If you think of it this way, it makes sense. Although it’s a speculative leap with predetermined conclusions.
“So, if we can find the location of this hidden subspace, we can open it with this Orb?”
“I suppose.”
Ludmilla’s expertise was unparalleled, even the Tower Lords acknowledged this. But her uncertainty about the magic-based question was surprising.
‘It shows how extraordinary Mortalia was.’
However, noticing Khan’s potential misunderstanding of her response, Ludmilla quickly added more context.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not because I lack anything.”
“I understand. I don’t doubt your abilities.”
“… Such a reckless thing to say.”
Muttering softly, Ludmilla gave Khan a pointed look before sighing.
“Have you heard of the vault locks used by the Paradise Bank?”
“Roughly.”
The Paradise Bank was known to divide the wealth of the continent with the Empire. As the name suggests, it was run by Elves who resided in ‘Paradise,’ not the Empire.
The locks created in collaboration with the Dwarves—almost through coercion—were said to be the pinnacle of magical engineering and extravagant cost.
“Are you referring to the locks that can only be opened with their corresponding keys?”
“Yes, that’s right. Young lord of the paladins.”
“Young lord…?”
“You have a noble look about you. Anyway, even if you have the key, the lock won’t open just like that. You must insert the key at the correct angle and in the predetermined sequence, or it will hit an internal latch. If that happens, you’ll never be able to access the contents of the vault.”
It will explode.
Though the playful squeezing motion of her hand seemed like a joke, a vault built by the combined efforts of Dwarves and Elves wouldn’t explode in an ordinary manner.
‘I’ve experienced it firsthand.’
Once, Khan had an assassin character infiltrate the Paradise Bank.
He had succeeded in finding a vault with a matching key through sheer luck, but a high-difficulty mini-game suddenly appeared, and upon failing, his character was blown up.
And that assassin character was equipped with three defensive artifacts to compensate for his weak constitution, yet he still perished.
“So, you’re saying that the sorceress’s subspace is similar to the locks of the Paradise Bank?”
“Yes, just like the young miss said. It’s very similar in concept. Otherwise, there would be no reason to create the key in this form.”
Using a peculiar moniker to address Maya, Ludmilla rolled the Orb between her fingers.
“The spatial distortion caused by the Orb varies according to the mana pattern infused into it. Direction, range, intensity—all of it.”
“So, what you’re saying is….”
“To open the entrance to the subspace, it must be aligned with the direction, range, and intensity set by the mage. Just like unlocking the vault’s locks at the Paradise Bank.”
Everyone present fell silent.
They could roughly gauge the difficulty of what Ludmilla was explaining.
“First, you need to manipulate the three variables of spatial distortion as desired. If you can’t do that, you can’t even begin.”
“Right. Even if you find the entrance by chance, you wouldn’t know how to insert the key correctly.”
“Knowing isn’t the problem.”
“Your little Apostle friend is right. There’s no guarantee you’ll have multiple attempts. Moreover, predicting the consequences of spatial collisions isn’t easy.”
Silence fell again.
Even if they mastered the use of the Orb, the challenge of discovering the ‘specific pattern’ to unlock the subspace remained.
There was no guarantee of multiple chances either.
“It seems insurmountable.”
“Insurmountable indeed.”
Ludmilla readily agreed to Leo’s sigh-infused comment, emphasizing the immense difficulty of the task.
“Ultimately, what matters is understanding more about the sorceress’s unique mana patterns and spell systems. The more we decipher, the more precisely we can manipulate the Orb. And…”
“At the same time, we need to pinpoint where the entrance to the subspace might be.”
Collecting Mortalia’s relics was challenging enough, but the latter task was especially daunting. How could they find the invisible entrance to the subspace on this vast continent? Perhaps the mage left clues, but even uncovering those clues would be a grueling task.
Thinking of a plausible solution was frustratingly elusive. As silence descended once more, it was finally broken by an unexpected voice.
“Hey, about that….”
It was Alejandro, who had been silently brooding over his place in the group.
“I’m not particularly well-educated, so I didn’t grasp most of it. But, in the end, isn’t it just stealing the stuff left by this sorceress?”
Ludmilla squinted at Khan, as if asking, ‘Who is this bald monkey?’ Khan just shrugged back. Explaining he was brought along on a whim didn’t seem necessary.
‘He does have some skill, but determining its extent is tricky.’
“Let’s hear him out. He’s obsessed with thievery. Besides, there’s no harm in listening.”
“That’s fair. So, what do you have in mind?”
With a mischievous smile, Ludmilla’s words turned all eyes toward Alejandro.
—
Alejandro wondered if he’d made a mistake by speaking up.
After all, the people involved in this discussion were intimidating, to say the least. The imposing leader who slayed the terrifying dragon and earned the title ‘Dragon Slayer of Argon’; not to mention, the group included two rare paladins and Maya Eldred, known as the “Lance of Palam,” who had a notable reputation in Argon’s mercenary community, was the least formidable member.
Not to mention, present in the room was the renowned Witch of Loren, the ruler of the Forest of Inverted Cross. The most unbelievable part—her gaze towards the boss was distinctly unusual!
‘Damn, with that pretty face, what does she see in that brutish boss…?’
While he acknowledged the boss’s incredible strength and prowess, Alejandro still thought he had a better-looking face.
He wanted to ask what kind of relationship those two had, but he got so caught up in the ongoing conversation that he couldn’t.
‘This mage, that sorceress, I’m guessing? And what’s this subspace? And what is a little apostle? Aren’t apostles extremely high-ranking in the Pantheon Church…?’
The more Alejandro listened, the more his head spun with unfamiliar terms. He decided to block everything out and wait for the situation to end. But his attempt to remain quiet failed because talk of ‘stealing’ kept coming up, and he couldn’t resist chiming in!
“Um, so this subspace… It’s not easily visible to others, right?”
“Not just invisible; it probably exists in an entirely different dimension. Just like the paradise where elves reside, which is an isolated subspace.”
“I-I don’t get complex stuff like that.”
“It means you can’t detect the entrance using conventional means. Not visually, not through mana resonance, spiritual response, or even through the instincts that highly skilled warriors or swordsmen sometimes awaken. Unless you can manipulate space, which is rare.”
Ludmilla’s detailed explanation made Alejandro understand in his own way:
‘So, they want treasures left by an ancient mage, right?’
Treasures hidden using methods beyond ordinary knowledge.
“That’s… tomb raiding, isn’t it?”
“Tomb raiding?”
Ludmilla chuckled at the term. It was absurd to label such a significant endeavor as mere “tomb raiding”.
But Alejandro wasn’t a mage; he was a thief, and from his perspective, this wasn’t any different from looting an ancient site.
“I don’t mean to criticize! It just seems like there’s something you and the witch might be overlooking…”
This is getting more interesting.
Ludmilla seriously considered turning the insolent baldhead into forest compost. If he wasn’t Khan’s subordinate, she wouldn’t hesitate for even a second.
“So, what is it we’re missing?”
“Well, usually in tomb raiding, you start by finding where the person is buried, right? Most ancient sites are tombs of some sort. So, I’m thinking…”
Wouldn’t it make sense to start by locating the sorceress’s tomb?
Alejandro’s matter-of-fact tone was somewhat irritating, but no one reprimanded him. No one else had thought of that obvious point.
“That’s it!”
Ludmilla exclaimed.
“Most locations where the sorceress’s artifacts have been found were workshops scattered across the continent, but some have indeed appeared as ruins. Those could be considered tombs in a way. Since these sites have already been thoroughly excavated, they were naturally excluded as potential candidates…”
“But with the Orb in our possession, the outcome might be different.”
Perhaps spreading workshops and ruins across the continent was the sorceress’s way of misdirection.
“You’re right! Bald monkey, you’ve proven surprisingly useful…!”
Unsure whether Ludmilla’s words were a compliment or a criticism, Alejandro’s face contorted awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Khan, who remembered where one of those ‘ruins’ was located, murmured to himself with a peculiar expression.
“Our next destination is set.”
‘In the end, I’m bound to get involved one way or another.’
The next destination was the Duchy of Georges.
In the original game, it was the stage for Act 2 of the main quest.
TL’s Corner:
Changing mage Mortalia to sorceress Mortalia.
The term used to describe Mortalia is 마도사(Madosa). But for mages it’s 마법사(Mapeopsa).