Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 487

Chapter 487

Perhaps because Gaia was nearby, not a single beast dared to approach the place where Zeon’s group had set up camp.

Gaia might have seemed weak before that monstrous Imugi, but in truth, there were few creatures in existence capable of harming her.

Only an S-class beast could fight her on equal terms, and even then, creatures of the same rank rarely clashed.

They knew all too well that when beings of equal power fought, both sides were destroyed.

Unless one could completely overwhelm the other, it was wiser for both to pretend not to see.

Weaker beasts didn’t even think of approaching.

The instant they sensed Gaia’s presence, they bolted away in terror.

Thanks to that, the four of them slept soundly that night.

When Gaia awoke, she stretched her massive body and rose into the sky, as if loosening her stiff limbs.

Watching her swim freely through the air, they couldn’t help but find the sight endearing.

Tesserina, gazing up, turned to Zeon with a sheepish smile.

“She really does belong in the sky. Sorry, I was wrong yesterday.”

“As long as you realized it, that’s enough.”

“As an apology, I’ll give you one of the items from my lair later.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“You should.”

Zeon nodded at her confident tone.

Dragons were, by nature, greedy beings.

They could not rest until they possessed whatever they desired.

That was why their lairs overflowed with treasure.

Zeon doubted Tesserina was any exception.

Just then Levin called out,

“Hey, bro! Tesserina, come eat!”

At their campsite, a delicious spread had been laid out, food prepared by old man Klexi, carefully stored in a spatial backpack.

Thanks to him, the four could enjoy a feast even in the middle of the desert.

A blissful smile bloomed across Tesserina’s face.

“The one who cooked this… their skill is astounding. How can anyone make food taste this good?”

“Old Man Klexi is Neo Seoul’s best chef,” Levin said proudly.

“No,

the best in the world,” Lemura added.

As if rehearsed, the two of them praised him in unison.

Zeon silently nodded, agreeing.

Because of Klexi’s heartfelt cooking, they could dine like nobles even out here in the wasteland.

They still had plenty of food stored in their spatial packs, no need to worry about supplies for a while.

Levin gazed at the rising sun and murmured,

“I can’t wait to have Old Man Klexi’s special spaghetti served to Brielle.”

The dish had been prepared especially for her, spaghetti made with her favorite ingredients and seasonings, still sealed fresh in Levin’s pack.

He was eager to see her happy face again.

I hope she’s safe…

He couldn’t help but worry what hardships she might be enduring in the High Elf village.

Sensing his thoughts, Zeon said quietly,

“She’ll be fine. She’s strong.”

“I know, and that’s what worries me. If she’d just bow her head once, everything would be easier, but she’s probably glaring back instead.”

“That’s one of her strengths.”

“It’s also one of her flaws. But you’re right, she’ll do fine. She’s learned a lot with us.”

“Exactly. Just keep that faith.”

“So… should we get moving?”

“Let’s go.”

Zeon looked up into the sky.

Sensing his call, Gaia plummeted down from the heavens like a falling star,

then landed softly on the earth, as graceful as if she’d never left it.

Once all four climbed onto her back, Gaia rose smoothly, weightless as a balloon.

―Piii!

“Yeah! Let’s go, Gaia!”

At Zeon’s words, Gaia accelerated sharply.

Kwaaa!

The rush of speed was incredible, yet on her back, the riders felt nothing but comfort, as though resting on a soft bed.

It was thanks to the protective field Gaia generated.

“She’s even faster than before,” Levin said, wide-eyed.

For someone who’d ridden Gaia many times, that was saying something.

The scenery flew by in blurs of color; Lemura could only stare, speechless.

Tesserina scanned the land below.

“At this pace, we’ve covered several thousand kilometers from Neo Seoul. Do we still have far to go?”

Several thousand kilometers, an easy phrase to say, but a distance that would take a month by car, ten times longer on foot.

And Gaia had crossed it in only two days.

The speed was unreal, at this rate, she could probably circle the planet without difficulty.

Then,

―Piii!

Gaia let out her signature cry and abruptly slowed.

Zeon looked ahead.

“Seems we’re almost there.”

“There’s nothing around us, though?”

“Just wasteland, Brother!”

Both of them looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Tesserina smiled faintly.

“Not everything can be seen with the eyes.”

“What?”

“Then how do we see it?”

Levin and Lemura blinked in confusion.

Tesserina explained gently,

“Close your eyes. Focus your mind. You’ll feel a wall of mana before us.”

“A wall of mana?”

“There’s such a thing?”

“Try it. You’ll understand once you do.”

“Alright…”

Levin closed his eyes and concentrated.

Moments later, something enormous brushed against his senses,

Kwaaa!

A violent whirlpool of energy raged before them, forming a barrier so destructive it seemed to twist the air itself.

If he stepped in carelessly, he’d be torn apart.

“That’s the mana wall?”

“It’s not pure mana, they’ve altered its nature through a barrier. For a High Elf’s work, it’s shockingly aggressive.”

She frowned deeper, bewildered.

The High Elves she knew were noble and aloof.

Their pride far exceeded that of ordinary elves, Elves among elves.

Chosen by the gods themselves.

That was how they saw themselves.

And indeed, their powers were far superior to their kin. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Yet they abhorred unnecessary violence.

If attacked, they retaliated mercilessly, but they never struck first.

That nature extended even to their protective barriers.

Their enchantments repelled intruders, but never carried killing intent.

It was a tradition spanning thousands of years.

But this barrier, this thing before them seethed with murderous will.

Cross it, and it would tear you apart.

It was utterly unlike any High Elf magic Tesserina knew.

She turned to Zeon.

He stood atop Gaia’s head, eyes fixed on the barrier.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“It’s definitely violent,” he replied. “Rough… and full of killing intent. Whoever made it wants to shred anyone who dares step inside.”

“The High Elves I know would never make something like this.”

“Brielle never said her village had a barrier like this either.”

Zeon studied the wall in silence, then asked Gaia,

“Was this barrier here the last time you came?”

―Pii!

“No? Then it must have appeared after you returned to Neo Seoul.”

Given Gaia’s speed, the High Elf village was only about a five-day round trip from Neo Seoul.

But a barrier of this scale couldn’t be built in just five days.

It required complex calculations and immense manpower.

Even a skilled barrier mage couldn’t create something of this level overnight.

And barrier mages weren’t common to begin with.

Even if they had one, hundreds would need to work together to construct something like this.

Which meant there was only one explanation.

Zeon and Tesserina spoke at the same time.

“An item.”

“It’s an item.”

Their voices overlapped perfectly.

Levin looked at them.

“A High Elf treasure, maybe?”

“Most likely.”

“They must have some incredible artifact. Can we break through it?”

Zeon frowned.

If they forced it open, it wasn’t impossible.

With his and Tesserina’s combined strength, and Gaia’s help, they could tear it apart.

But then the village would surely be destroyed as well.

The place where Brielle had been born and raised, gone.

Would she be happy to see that? Of course not.

He wouldn’t do something that would make her cry.

Zeon said to Gaia,

“Set us down here and wait nearby. I’ll call if we need you.”

―Piii! Piii!

“Don’t worry. We’re not giving up.”

―Pii!

Reassured, Gaia slowly descended.

Once the four climbed down, she soared back into the sky and vanished.

Levin looked around.

“This place feels so desolate.”

“Yeah. Even creepier than a sewer,” Lemura muttered.

They were right, the surroundings were bleak and lifeless.

The ground was covered in sand, as in other deserts, but this sand was unnaturally black, as though stained by something foul.

Zeon knelt, running his fingers through it.

“This sand… it’s dead.”

“Sand can die?”

“Everything has its own energy. If it didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to command sand at all. But here, there’s nothing, no vitality. That’s why I say it’s dead.”

“So that means… things are bad?”

“They’re worse than bad. When the land itself is this dead, nothing living here can be normal.”

“Mmm…”

Tesserina let out a low hum.

Levin muttered as he walked closer to the barrier,

“So you’re telling me… the High Elf village is in this godforsaken place? And Brielle’s there?”

“Poor Brielle…”

Lemura’s eyes welled with tears.

Tesserina asked Zeon.

“What now?”

“We look around, there has to be another way in.”

“I agree. That’s the only option.”

It was the standard approach, not fast, but the only one available.

The four began circling the barrier, searching for an entrance.

Hours passed as they walked the perimeter, but they found no way through.

Zeon was just about to tell them to rest when,

Wuuuung!

A deep resonance rippled from the barrier.

Zeon’s expression hardened.

“Everyone, hide.”

At his command, Levin, Lemura, and Tesserina ducked behind a low dune.

A moment later, someone emerged from within the barrier.

A woman with sharp, pointed ears, wearing a black priest’s robe.

A High Elf.