Chương 268: Chapter 266 – On The Road.

"It's hard to see anything…" Rusty thought to himself as they continued through the mist filled forest. Many of the students were talking, but thanks to the silence magic, none of the sound escaped into the surroundings. Despite the number of people packed inside, the wagon had become strangely peaceful. Outside, however, the world looked almost eerie. Dense white mist curled between enormous trees whose trunks were wider than small houses.

Their branches stretched high overhead, forming a canopy so thick that very little sunlight reached the forest floor. Strange blue moss glowed faintly along roots and rocks, creating patches of pale light within the fog. Even so, the route was far from dark. The vehicle itself was brightly illuminated, as was the path ahead. They traveled along a strange road made of glowing blue bricks.

The surface was uneven enough that the ride should have been rough, yet inside the wagon there was no movement at all, as though some unseen force was cushioning every bump. Rusty pressed closer to the window. Every now and then, he caught movement between the trees. Some creatures were small while others were quite large. At one point, he spotted something massive moving through the mist alongside the road. Only its glowing yellow eyes were visible before it disappeared deeper into the forest once again.

"Is this academy surrounded by monsters?" Rusty asked as his helmet tapped lightly against the glass. He continued staring outside, trying to make out the shapes moving within the fog.

"Something like that, Rusty. They are called the guardians. They protect the academy from intruders. This forest is also much larger than what you can see here." Gwen leaned slightly closer to the window as she answered him.

"Much larger?" Rusty tilted his helmet.

"They say it stretches for around a hundred kilometers in every direction around the academy. If you don't know the guiding spell and don't have wards to protect you from the guardians, you'll wander in circles until something finds you…" Gwen trailed off, but her friend Astrella was more than happy to continue.

"And then you get torn to shreds!"

"Astrella…"

"What? That's what happens to trespassers. The guardians near the forest edge are actually the gentler ones, too. Anyone who keeps going after being warned can only blame themselves!"

"Yes, but still…" Gwen sighed while Rusty continued peering into the fog. The glowing road curved gently between the enormous trees. Strange runes had been carved into some of the trunks, and although they seemed to be moving incredibly fast, there was no sensation of speed inside the wagon. It was obvious that some kind of magic was guiding them forward and greatly accelerating the journey.

Even though crossing a hundred kilometers should have taken far longer, it did not even take an hour before Rusty finally saw light beyond the mist.

'We are outside… This place looks… different.' They had finally emerged from the fog-covered forest. Beyond it, a bright orange sun hung in the sky, illuminating everything around them. The light reflected from Rusty's helmet as he leaned closer to the window. He was not the only one captivated by the view. Gwen and Astrella did the same, and even Aranea peeked outside while trying to hide her curiosity. Rolling fields of tall, pale grass swayed in slow waves beneath a steady wind.

Far in the distance, broken silhouettes of stone ruins and scattered watchtowers rose from the earth. Beneath them, the same glowing blue brick road stretched across the landscape, cutting through it as though it did not belong there. The drakehorses pulled the wagon forward at a steady pace, their heavy steps completely silent. Above them floated clusters of rock and earth, something Rusty had never seen before.

"What are those?"

"Oh? You've never seen a floating island before, Rusty? Though I suppose those can't really be called islands. They're more like enormous boulders. As for how they came to be…" Gwen replied while Rusty stared at the scenery, though Astrella clearly wanted to join the conversation as well.

"Oh, I know that story. Let me explain, let me!"

"Haha, if you want to, go ahead." Gwen laughed at her friend's eagerness to talk with Rusty, and soon Astrella began explaining the lore behind the floating rocks above them.

"They say a great war once broke out between the gods and the titans…" Astrella leaned forward in her seat and placed a hand on top of Rusty's small head.

"…The titans tried to drag the heavens down, and the gods struck back by tearing the land apart. When the battle ended, pieces of the shattered upper world were left drifting in the sky." Rusty squirmed as Astrella tried to pet him, then looked back toward the floating masses above. Some were small enough to be mistaken for boulders, but others were as large as entire hills, with trees still growing on them and roots dangling into the open air.

"That sounds like an incredible battle. I wish I could have seen it… or even taken part in it!"

"Hah, did you hear that, Gwen? Rusty wants to join a war between gods and titans!" The girls chuckled, but Rusty had been completely serious. If beings powerful enough to tear apart the land and leave pieces of it floating in the sky truly existed, then he wanted to witness that power for himself. In his mind, everything could be overcome through evolution. Perhaps, at the end of his journey, he too would reach a level of strength capable of rivaling gods and mythical creatures.

Until then, however, he still needed to play the role of a summoned creature belonging to a teenage girl. He remained glued to the window as the trip continued. The two girls kept chatting, but Rusty barely listened. Instead, he watched the road carefully for any threats that might appear. The wagon rolled onward across the glowing blue road, cutting through the endless fields like a blade. Scattered villages appeared here and there, and now and then Rusty caught sight of people tending to their farmland.

Watching them made him realize just how vast this world truly was.

'This world is much larger than I thought…' At first, Rusty believed the summoning chamber had only shown him illusions or transported him to isolated regions for his missions. However, ever since the encounter with the Necromancer, he had begun to see worlds vast enough to explore endlessly. Sometimes he wondered what these places truly were. Different continents? Separate realms created by gods? Or something entirely beyond his understanding?

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He did not know yet, but one day he intended to uncover the truth while pursuing greater strength and further evolutions.

"So then, why don't we play a game while we are here? It will take several hours for us to arrive at the first stop!" Rusty was still glued to the window, but the moment he heard the girls mention a game, he became intrigued. He was not sure what they meant, but soon Astrella reached into her satchel and pulled out a strange piece of wood folded in on itself. Once it was out, it floated to the side and began unfolding into something covered in strange symbols and a checkered pattern.

"This is…"

"It's a mage game. I bought it just for this trip!" Astrella said proudly as what appeared to be a game board floated into the space between the seats. She had likely bought it with the money students could earn at the Academy through good grades or by entering void gates.

"Oh, this looks interesting, but… isn't this for four people?" Gwen commented while pointing at the floating checkered board as it continued unfolding. Once it finished, it produced table-like legs and gently landed on the floor.

"Hm? Wait… did I get the wrong one?" Astrella stared at the board in shock as she noticed far more player markings than she had expected. The board remained still, as though waiting for something to happen.

"If it's for four people, why don't you play with the other humanoids? Look, there is one over there who seems interested." Rusty used his halberd to point toward the gloomy-looking girl with the spider on her head. He could tell she was interested in what the girls were doing. Even with the silencing spell in place, she was clearly watching the game.

"You want Aranea to play with us?" Astrella asked, fully aware that the other girl should not have been able to hear her. Yet the moment she spoke, Aranea raised an eyebrow as though she understood every word.

"Are you sure this spell is working? I think that humanoid understood you."

"Huh?" Rusty pointed it out again, and an awkward silence filled the space between them. Gwen quickly glanced around the seating area.

"No, it should be working…" The bracelet on Astrella's wrist shimmered faintly, and the other students clearly could not hear them. Yet the girl with the spider summon continued staring at them as if waiting for something.

"Oh, can't some humanoids read lips?" Rusty's comment made the two girls panic as they looked toward Aranea. If that was true, then she already knew what they were discussing, and it would be rude not to ask her directly. Gwen turned to Astrella with an awkward smile, and together they disabled the silencing magic around them.

"Um… Lady Aranea… would you like to play with us too?" Gwen turned toward her and asked awkwardly, not expecting an answer in return. Yet the girl across from them responded almost instantly.

"Thou wish me to play with thou?"

"If you don't want to…"

"I accept."

"Huh?" Astrella blinked several times as though she had misheard the answer. Across from them, Aranea sat perfectly still with her hands folded neatly in her lap while her small spider slowly crawled onto the floating game board.

"L-Lady Aranea wishes to participate in a common travel game?" Eldric nearly choked at the sight before him, and even Aldric looked completely bewildered.

"But... but we brought books for you... and..." Aranea slowly turned her head toward them. The movement alone was enough to silence both boys instantly.

"Am I forbidden from entertainment now?"

"N-No, of course not!"

"Absolutely not!" The spider perched on the board hissed softly as it crawled across the surface. Both boys shrank back into their seats while Rusty silently observed the scene.

"So we are still missing one person." Gwen quickly moved closer to the board. There were not many options left. The only people remaining were the two boys behind Aranea and Syber. Unfortunately, when she glanced toward Syber, she found him sprawled against the cushions, already fast asleep.

"How did this idiot fall asleep so fast..." Astrella blinked twice before finally looking in his direction.

"One of thou will do." Before the girls could decide anything, Aranea pointed toward one of her attendants. Aldric immediately straightened in place since he was standing closer than Eldric.

"M-Me?" Aranea gave a slow nod.

"If thou art capable of understanding the rules, then thou can participate." The young man looked utterly unprepared for this sudden development. He glanced toward Eldric, and a smug smile slowly spread across his face, as though he had won some great prize. Eldric immediately frowned as he watched his friend move closer to the game board.

"Okay, now that everyone is here..." Gwen scooted aside to make room for Astrella beside the board. Aldric took his place near Aranea, still wearing that strange smile, and Gwen continued.

"I've seen this game before. It's called War of the Beasts, right?"

"You're right, Gwen! I'm sure everyone already knows the rules, so let's spin for our armies!" Astrella pointed toward the board as a pair of dice suddenly emerged from it. She grabbed them, shook them in her palm, and tossed them onto the large playing surface. Instead of numbers, strange magical symbols covered each die. The symbols glowed faintly once the dice settled across the board. One displayed a silver crown while the other showed the head of a clawed beast.

"Oh, a rare pull!" Astrella clapped excitedly.

"You got the Monarch faction, Gwen!"

"Huh? Isn't that difficult to use?"

"It is, but it becomes really strong later!" The floating board suddenly reacted. One side lit up with silver light as tiny pieces began materializing from thin air, forming the illusion of a grand castle. Small knight figures appeared one after another around it. Carrying miniature shields and banners, they marched into formation across Gwen's side of the board.

"And I get the Beast Tribes!" The game only required two players, and the board flickered again as the Beast faction formed opposite the castle. Their base resembled a massive mountain, while their armies consisted of beastmen and savage creatures. The illusion looked remarkably lifelike, enough to catch even Rusty's attention as he watched the tiny humanoids move across the battlefield. Soon after, both Aranea and Aldric rolled for their armies.

When the dice finally settled, the symbols burned brighter than before. An emerald colored tree appeared for Aranea, while Aldric received something that resembled a goblin.

"Hah, he got the goblin kingdom!" Astrella laughed as the opposing factions began to take shape. Aranea's side became a vast forest filled with fairies and treants, while Aldric's transformed into a gloomy wasteland littered with broken huts, crooked banners, and half collapsed towers that seemed to sink into the soil.

"Goblin kingdoms are usually fast starters, but they fall apart easily. We've got this, Gwen! Let's go!"

"Thou art too confident…" Aranea did not seem to share the same opinion, and soon the game began. Rusty watched as the kids rolled the dice for various actions he did not fully understand. They moved their armies across the checkered spaces on the board, gathering resources to expand their forces and waging war against one another. It was an interesting game, and it took quite some time to finish.

"No… how could this be…" By the end of the confrontation, Astrella was left facing Aranea alone. Both Gwen and Aldric had eventually lost their bases. The blue glow of the board dimmed as the final exchange resolved, and the tiny mountain became engulfed by a lush forest that spread across the entire board.

"Thou did well, but thou art still inexperienced in such tactics." Aranea covered her mouth with a black fan, though it was obvious to everyone that she was smiling. Rusty was quite impressed by both the game and the strategic mind the girl had shown. Previously, he had thought she was only skilled at riding her spider summon, but now he realized there was far more to her.

"No… how could this happen?! Let's go again! Two out of three!" Astrella did not take the loss lightly, which made Gwen chuckle from the side. A few hours had passed, yet they still had not reached their destination.

"Art thou sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Let's go!" Aranea nodded, and the other two players were forced to join in again. Rusty looked at the bright expressions on the humanoids' faces. He still did not fully understand them, but it was clear they were beginning to bond.